


Act Naturally

by MsAtomicBomb



Category: Fate/Apocrypha, Fate/Zero, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms, Fate/stay night - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Human, F/M, Human AU, Multi, Romance, School, Teacher-Student Relationship, Teacher/Student
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-23
Updated: 2018-05-16
Packaged: 2018-05-22 17:43:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 48
Words: 130,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6088681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsAtomicBomb/pseuds/MsAtomicBomb
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After meeting a man at the supermarket, Arturia starts to build a friendship with Diarmuid, and eventually she starts to like him. With the end of Summer comes a big surprise. Within the first week of school her Chemistry teacher goes on Maternity leave, and her new teacher is also her new found friend, but things start to get out of hand. Trying to hide or even start a relationship is much more difficult than Arturia Pendragon thought was possible.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

"Oh crap!" She grumbled as she fell to her knees to collect all of the food she had just dropped; good thing that they were apples and some cans and not cooked food, or else she would have to end up fighting the jerk that bumped into her.

Her day had already been off to a bad start, with her father upset that she had waken up so late and the fact that in such a hurry, she had dropped and broken a plate. After being late for her summer job, she had been scolded by her boss and now she dropped all the food she was about to buy. Could her day have gotten any worse, so much that she would have to sit for a while to let her anger pass.

"Are you alright?" She looked up at the man that spoke, expecting him to be the jerk that made her drop her things; except it was the man with the shopping cart next to hers—the one who had witnessed it all.

She rolled her eyes and sighed loudly, half expecting the male to call back the jerk, "Yeah, I'm good." She huffed and picked up the remainder of the food she had dropped. After picking up the last can, she blinked as she noticed that it had cracked the tiles of the supermarket, "Shit," she breathed.

"Here," The man offered to help her up, as her hands were full and it was sort of hard to stand from a kneeling position that she was in without the use of her arms. He had a rather big build and nice rust orange eyes. He was so much taller than her, almost like an amazon tree and his hair as black as the night.

"I'm good," she repeated and somehow got up, truly surprising him, "But thank you," she nodded as she acknowledged his kindness and noticed that he had a beauty mark under his right eye; a trait that made him all the more unique.

"Some people are mean," the male commented as he looked over at the end of the isle where the man was just turning to leave, "so don't mind him."

Arturia nodded, "I guess you're right." The smile she gave was half forced for she was still irritated over the other man that had made her drop her belongings, "Thanks again," she huffed out, paying attention to the crack on the floor.

"You're welcome," he smiled, "well then, have a great day," he spoke as he turned about and landed his hands on his shopping cart to commence making his way through the supermarket.

"Are you going to make Pasta?" She had caught site of the Fettuccini in the man's buggie; pasta was one of her favourite dishes and she wanted to know if the man was making it the right way.

He turned to look at her again and he nodded, "Yeah, it's for dinner since my brother is coming over, and he likes pasta a lot."

"Don't use that sauce; it's not that good," she suggested upon seeing a plain tomato sauce, "The tomato and mushroom one is much better, also you should add a pinch of garlic to it. Sprinkle some black pepper and remember to boil it with salt, so that there's taste in the actual Fettucini."

A smile grew on his lips, "You like to cook, I take it?"

"Just pasta," she shrugged, "and when I'm feeling lazy, I just buy Chef Boyardi." She held up the cans she had in her hands. "Here let me help you with getting the sauce, since you might mess that up,"

He gave her a nod of approval and followed her down the isle as she looked at the many sauces that she could find, then she pointed out to one of the bottles, "That's the one. It's delicious; I promise."

"Will I get my money back?" He joked, seeing that she was very confident about her choice.

"Well," she sucked in air through her teeth, "You'd have to ask the store about that."

"Thank you," he took the jar of pasta sauce and gave her another smile, "I'm Diarmuid, by the way."

"Arturia," she extended a hand out to him and he shook it in return, "I hope you and your brother have a great dinner."

"Thank you," he repeated and put the jar of sauce in his cart.

Seeing that he had more than pasta in his cart, she figured to ask, "Oh, do you cook often?"

"Yeah, I like to cook a lot," he explained, "It's one of my hobbies."

Arturia bit her lower lip and smiled, "You don't find many men that like to cook; it's good and essential to know how to, good job."

Diarmuid chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck, "I guess so," he smiled nervously.

"Okay, bye," Arturia had trouble waving with the ravioli in her hand, "It was very nice to meet you."

After he also returned the gesture, she turned about on her heel and hurried to the cashier. Heading to her friend's house, she held onto the shopping bag tightly as she pulled out her phone to call her friend, "Hey, I'm on my way," she managed as she took out an apple and began to eat it for the day was rather hot and she had decided to wear black.

* * *

"Arturia...?" A voice called from behind her and she turned about to face a man. The one she had met before in the supermarket; the one with the beauty mark under his right eye.

He stood with a soft smile on his face and a shopping cart in his hands, almost like the last time they had met.

"Oh hello, Diarmuid, we meet again," She smirked and returned to checking which avocado's were ripe enough, "What brings you back to the super store?" She asked as she tried to decide which ones to take with her.

"Grocery shopping," he chuckled lightly, trying to catch her attention again, "and what will you be making this time?"

"You must eat a lot," she teased as he had gotten groceries only two weeks prior, "Sushi,"

Diarmuid furrowed his brows and blushed a little bit, "I thought you only made pasta,"

"Uh, I saw a show on how to make sushi with a friend and she is now pressuring me." She ran a hand through her hair, "You know how friends are." It was huffed, almost as if saying that it was pointless fighting your friends.

"Actually, no, I don't have many." He bit his lip and looked away, "I don't socialize much."

"My bad," She grabbed three random avocado's and threw them into her cart, out of embarrassment, "So um, what are you making for dinner?" She raised her eyebrow and blinked at him.

"Uh, I still have yet to decide," he rubbed his neck, "What do you recommend?"

Arturia shrugged as she pushed the cart over to the onions, "What do you like the most?"

"I don't really know," he shrugged in return, an innocent smile on his face, "I've never really thought about that."

Laughing a bit, she turned back to him, "Nothing comes to mind? At all?"

"Not really..." he shook his head slowly, "What about you, what's your favourite meal?"

"Meal? Not sure," she licked her lips, "But I definitely like steak."

"Then maybe we could go out for steak sometime?" He bit his lower lip in anticipation.

Her jaw dropped and her lips repositioned themselves in a smirk, "Sly," she chuckled, "Very sly."

"So um, what do you say?" His dark eyebrow rose in inquiry.

Arturia sighed and glanced at the onions, "That would be good," she nodded, "When?"

Diarmuid shrugged, "Whenever you're free."

Nodding, she took out a pen and paper from her purse and scribbled her phone number down, "Here, whenever you think will be a good time, just call me and I'll confirm with you."

He hesitantly took the number and smiled at her, "Great." His smile was bright and warm, almost triumphant and it made her want to chuckle.

"Awesome, so yeah, just call when you want to settle a date," she clicked, "but this is eating outside." She made sure to clarify as she did not know him very well and public places were always better and safer, if need be.

"Yeah, of course," he nodded quite rapidly, "Yeah."

She waved him goodbye and then collected the last remaining ingredients before heading home and making the sushi her friend had asked for. In all honesty, she did seem to fancy Diarmuid and she had deemed him to be quite fine as his smile was warm. Of course, he was not going to drive her; she would meet him there and it would be much safer for her.

After finishing the Sushi, her friend entered the kitchen and popped a grape into her mouth, "How's the Sushi?" She mumbled past her chewing.

"Done, hopefully it's to your liking, as I did break my back over it." Arturia turned about with a plate of Sushi in her hands, "Here you go."

"Thanks, Artie, you're the best," the blonde female before her smiled brightly, "I best it's amazing," she stated before taking a bite of the Sushi and smiling brighter.

"I'm guessing they're good?" Arturia hummed as she saw that the female only kept shoving more Sushi into her mouth. "Well, I wanted you to know that I'll be going out on a date soon." She mumbled, hoping that the girl before her would not be too surprised over her finally getting a date.

"Hm," Jeanne—the one before her—nodded after eating another Sushi roll, "That's cool."

"Yeah, met him at the supermarket and now he's taking me out for steak. He seems like a nice guy, so I thought to try it out at least, you know? Since I haven't been on a date and all." She shrugged and shoved a grape into her mouth, seeing as her friend was not going to freak.

Jeanne randomly started to cough and had to thump on her chest for a little while in order to not choke on her food, "Wait, what?" She managed through coughs and wheezes.

Arturia rolled her green eyes after sliding a cup of water to her friend and ate some of the food she had made, which turned out rather well, "I'm going on a date. Don't know when or where—preferably a steakhouse—but yeah. Plus, I don't think of it as a date anyway. It's more like wanting to be friends."

"But you don't even know him," Jeanne reasoned, after she had chugged the glass of water and her coughing fit came to an erupt end, "What if he does not turn out to be so nice as you think he is? God only knows what will happen to you!"

"It's okay, Jeanne," Arturia huffed, "I got this. Plus, that's why it's going to be at a public area, where I can call him out on it if he dares and tries anything."

"But what about when you're alone?" Jeanne's eyebrows furrowed in concern, "What will you do when it's just the two of you in the car?"

Arturia grunted, "I'm not going into the car with him. Goodness Jeanne, do I have a death wish?"

"But still, Artie, I don't know about this... What's his name, huh?" She leaned forwards, ignoring the food.

"Diarmuid." She quickly responded.

"Last name?"

Arturia bit her lip, "Um..."

"What about school?" Jeanne tilted her head, "Job? University? Anything?"

"Well, I mean," She rubbed her neck after the interrogation.

"Then, how old is he?"

"Age doesn't even matter. If anything, he is only a few years older." She shrugged in response, slightly rolling her eyes.

Jeanne gasped, "Older? Wouldn't that be illegal? You're not even eighteen."

"I'm almost eighteen, and he does not even need to know. Plus, like I already said, It's not a date date."


	2. It's Actually a Date

_It's not a date_ , Arturia breathed as she sat down and he tucked her seat in for her, _It's normal to go to a steakhouse with a friend._ She gave a short smile as he sat on the seat across from hers and then she quickly averted her gaze down towards the Menu in front of her. She skimmed past the entrees and appetizers without even paying attention to what she could have chosen. It was not until a waitress' voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Hello, my name is Iris and I will be your waitress for tonight. What will you two be having?" The cheerful voice of the waitress gave her a little more anxiety than she already had.

Arturia looked up from her menu towards the energetic and sweet voice, a young woman with white hair to her waist and bright red eyes smiled down at them, "I would like..." She glanced over at Diarmuid, who waited patiently, "Well, I'm not quite sure. What would you suggest?"

"The pasta is very popular with the customers. It also has pulled pork and it is perfect," the waitress nodded as she too loved it.

"Then the pasta," Arturia smiled and then turned back to Diarmuid.

"And I would like the salad, thank you." And Arturia just thought she was stupid; salad should have been her choice as well, why on earth would she have chosen pasta.

Iris nodded as she scribbled down the order, "And for drinks? Any alcohol?"

 _Drinks, dammit!_ "No, thank you, an iced tea would be just as good," Diarmuid nodded with a soft smile on his face.

After writing it down, she turned towards Arturia, "And for the lady?"

"Iced tea as well,"

After nodding, the waitress left for a long while, which had made it awkward for both Arturia and Diarmuid. They both waited in silence until their food arrived and when it did, they both mumbled a 'thanks' to the waitress and began to eat after ordering the main dish; steak and a side of rice and cooked vegetables.

"Do you have a job or are you studying right now?" Diarmuid had decided to end the awkward silence, a hand on the fork and the other holding the glass of Iced Tea.

Arturia nodded slowly, "Yes, I do have a job, but it is only for the summer, as I return to my studies in September," she explained before taking another bite of her pasta.

"Oh," he nodded, "what is it that you work as?"

"Camp councillor; I really like working with kids and doing all that leadership thing. It's quite the experience." She really did like working with little kids because it always made her day, even if she was feeling really crappy.

Diarmuid smiled, "That sounds like a lot of fun." His smile seeming much more warmer than it did in the supermarket, as if he was even happier or something.

"Sometimes the kids can be a real pain, but they are still really fun and sweet," Arturia shrugged, "And you? What do you do?" She tilted her head to her right in both inquiry and curiosity.

"Well," the male licked his lips, "for now, I tutor high school students in Chemistry, but hopefully I'll be able to land an actual job this fall."

"Chemistry?" Arturia lifted an eyebrow, "Now that sounds like a lot of work, I imagine the hard time those students give you."

Diarmuid chuckled, "Mostly it's the girls that cause me a lot of trouble," he blushed, "which you would think it was the opposite way."

Arturia let out a soft laugh and continued to eat, making sure to not leave a single bit of the pasta on the plate because the waitress had been right and the appetizer has been simply perfect, "What else do you like to do?" She asked after she had finished.

He thought about it for a while, not really knowing what he truly liked to do with his spare time, "I like to read up on history books and I also like to play football*."

She nodded slowly as they waited for the main dish to arrive, "I see that you also like to work out, am I right?" She questioned, her head tilting slightly.

"Mmm," Diarmuid furrowed his brows and pursed his lips in a straight line, "I guess," he shrugged. He didn't think that he liked to work out, he only thought that it was to keep himself healthy and in shape in case anything came up or so that he wouldn't die early in life.

"Well, I do like to watch the World Cup," she chuckled, "that's about as close as I get to a big ball. I prefer to _play_ tennis and lacrosse and I also do fencing and archery and I sometimes do some dirt biking, you know, other thank cooking when my friend forces me to or when I'm really hungry."

"You like to be diverse, huh?" He grinned and leaned against the table, "You are the first person I've met that likes to do fencing and dirt biking. Do you know how to ride a motorcycle?"

"Yes, I do. In fact, that's my mode of transportation today," she explained as the waitress had returned with their food and smiled with a little 'enjoy'.

Diarmuid's eyes widened a little bit, "Really?" He furrowed his brows in a bit of concern.

"Yes," she nodded, "Why is that so surprising?" She knitted her brows together and stared at him with a little bit of intimidation, since it shouldn't have meant anything; considering he was the one to ask.

"It isn't," he gulped, "I just... I wouldn't have imagined it, that's all." He gave a short shrug of his shoulders and the quickly began to cut the steak with his fork and knife, feeling the intense glare of the girl in front of him on his face. He took a deep breath and lifted his head again, "It's a good thing that you know about driving motorcycles. It's a unique thing, really."

* * *

"You really didn't need to pay, it was my treat and I did invite you, after all," Diarmuid breathed as he walked her over to her motorbike, she had paid for her half and they had a small argument in front of the waitress; it was mostly passive aggressive than anything else.

Arturia shrugged whilst she searched her pockets for her keys, "I do not like owing people money," she simply stated as she found her keys.

"Then instead of money, you could have owed me another date," Diarmuid looked down at his feet but then brought his orange gaze to meet her green one once she had shot her head towards him upon hearing the very strange sentence. And then he gave her a small wink.

Arturia laughed nervously, "Yeah...I hadn't thought of that." _It wasn't supposed to be a date, crap._ She was not going to lie, she had had a lot of fun getting to know him, and she did feel like she had developed a connection with him because they seemed to have a lot of similar values and morals, and it looked as if they could be friends for a very long time, but she had not thought _that_ far ahead and into a romantic relationship at all—or maybe she had and she was only lying to herself.

"Well here are," she stood next to her black and dark red accented Yamaha motorbike and avoided the male's eyes, "It was a lot of fun and maybe a second date would be cool too," she nodded as she took a deep breath, "Thanks again for the food and everything."

Diarmuid gave her a grateful smile and waved, "Thank you as well, and I hope you have a good night and get home safely." Again his smile was sweet and it made her smile back, but mostly out of courtesy than anything else.

* * *

Upon stumbling into her bed, she pulled out her phone and called her friend. The ringing of the phone on the other line was a bit irritating as she was feeling tired and she told her friend she would call as soon as she got home; but the television show called for her immediate attention as it was a new episode.

"Hello?" She heard the sweet voice of her friend from the other side of the phone.

Arturia groaned as she repositioned herself on the bed, "Hey, what's up?" She yawned out.

"Finally," her friend sighed, "I thought something might have happened to you. How did the date go?"

"I actually got home an hour ago, but When the Heart Calls came on, so I had to watch it." She sat up and started to take off her red sweater.

"Oh darn, I missed it because I was worrying over you," Jeanne growled, "I'll watch it later so just tell me how the date went."

"Well," Arturia stared at the ceiling, "at first I thought that it wasn't a date...but he said he wanted a second date at the end and that's when I realized that it had been a date."

"I told you that he asked you on a date, not some making new friend's stuff," Jeanne rolled her eyes and then searched up the episode online, "now, what happened?"

"We ate and talked about hobbies and values. He's a cool guys, to be honest, but I did not really think we were on a date and now I feel hat he likes me more than I like him... and that's not a good place to be at if you want to go into a relationship."

"One person will always like the other more than the other likes them; it's kind of what happens. Which is really sad and all, so not everyone will be happy."

Arturia sighed, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"So..." Jeanne chimed, "are you going to give him a second date or not?"

"Hmm," Arturia bit her lower lip, "I told him that it would be cool."

"As long as he is a nice man, then okay. Oh, so when could I meet him? He best be cute," the girl on the other line giggled and teased lightly, "Or else I won't approve,"

"He is, I can assure you,"

"Oh, I do hope so."


	3. What Do You Mean, You Can't Make it?

Their second date was not as formal, as they just took a walk around the park and stopped by an ice cream store. There were more things that she found out about him; he was Irish and adopted at a young age. He was also very good at skipping rocks but sucked at making jokes because they were all cheesy science ones.

"An atom walks into a bar and the bartender asks 'Why are you so down?' and the atom responds..." Diarmuid smiled so brightly.

"What does the atom say?" Arturia furrowed her brows trying her best to sound intrigued.

His smile grew a little bit more, "Because he lost his proton."

Arturia let out a chuckle and nudged him, "You are a dork. It's not even that funny."

Since he turned out to be a rather good person, they continued to go on small dates, only five to be exact. Walks around the park, out to the movies once and anything else that was not too expensive or bothersome for both of them; and fit into their schedules. But since Jeanne was dying to meet the famous 'Diarmuid', she was pressuring her friend to make them meet. She too had to judge him and check if he was worthy of her best friend and thus Arturia gave in.

Arturia had been planning the event for a few days now, it was hard to get Diarmuid free for a day and to be able to invite Jeanne over as well. Since Jeanne had practically begged her to make him meet her, it was finally happening. The day was bright, not failing to show it was summer, and the sun was warm as it leaked into the house through the French windows. Arturia took a deep breath because she knew that Jeanne would have some complaints, but definitely not any on his appearance.

The phone rang, filling the room with Jeanne's current favourite song; Kids by MGMT. She hurried to pick up the phone after she enjoyed the song for a little while, "Halo?" She mumbled as she was finishing curling her hair.

"Hey, um, what time are you heading over?" The familiar voice of her best friend came through.

Jeanne made sure not to burn herself with the curler, "I'll be there in five, okay? Tops ten because I'm doing my hair."

"You only need to walk for like two minutes," She heard Arturia take a bite of an apple after speaking.

"Actually," Jeanne smirked, "Google maps says one minute and twenty-six seconds," she sassed as she finished her hair and turned off the curler.

"So," the female on the other line began, "why are you curling your hair?"

"I simply wanted to look different," she mumbled, "the same look can get tiring, you know?"

"Haha," Arturia sarcastically laughed, "sure,"

"I can't wait!" Jeanne clapped her hands together as she looked around the room checking what she needed to take, "Why haven't you taken a picture of him?" She asked.

Arturia shrugged, "I don't feel like we are dating, it just feels as if we are simply hanging out," she shrugged, "I mean other than acting like friends, nothing has really happened."

"No kiss right?" Jeanne shot her head towards the phone because she needed to make sure that her friend was telling the truth, and she would make sure to heard it in her voice.

"No we haven't kissed, or even held hands; so you're good," she waved her hand as to dismiss the issue, although her friend could not see her.

"Okay good. I'm on my way, okay? I'm just going to grab a peach and I'll be there, okay? See ya."

"Okay okay, bye." And with that, the line went dead and Jeanne rushed to the kitchen and grabbed a peach. After washing it—since she did not like the fuzziness of it—she began to eat it and walk out of her house; not failing to forget her keys.

Jeanne took a deep breath and rolled her shoulders, "Beautiful day," she mumbled at the sky, "thank you." Since she did have a lot of faith, she would always thank the heavens for the day, even if the weather was not what she wanted.

Excited to see Arturia's boyfriend, she walked a little faster and let her lips form a bright smile. She passed a dozen houses before Arturia's came into view. She took another deep breath to tell herself not to expect too much from the male, and she slowed down.

Lifting her head from the floor, she noted a man parking a little further down the street. She bit her lower lip as the man left his car and began walking towards her. Her breath hitches as she recognized both the car and the man, "Sir," she greeted upon seeing the beauty mark.

The male tilted his head and smiled, "Jeanne, hello," he nodded.

"Umm, we don't have tutoring today... It's Wednesday not Thursday yet," Jeanne scratched her head.

The man chuckled lightly, "I know, I'm just here to visit my girlfriend." He pointed over at the house that they both had stopped in front of—Arturia's.

Jeanne blinked rapidly as she followed his pointing finger to her best friend's house, "Girlfriend?" She blurted.

"Uh," Diarmuid bit his lower lip, "sorry, but I do have a girlfriend. I mean, It really would have never worked out between us because you are my student..." He had not know that Jeanne had a liking to him and now he felt a little guilty to have made her think that he was into her.

"No, no," Jeanne shook her hand and flailed her hands for she did not actually like him in that way, "haha, no, there's no need to apologize and it isn't _that_. Haha, it was just a surprise that she lives close to me, that's all,"

"I see," he nodded, "So where are you off to?"

"The supermarket," it was the first thing that popped into her mind, and she wished it wasn't.

Diarmuid furrowed his brows, "You're going the wrong way," he smirked, "and I could drive you since it is rather far,"

Jeanne's violet eyes grew wide and se gasped, "Did I say supermarket? No, I meant the convenience store, haha," she nervously laughed, "you see, they both sell food so I always get confused."

"Oh, alright then, see you tomorrow." He gave one last smile and opened the small hate the house had.

Jeanne waved him off, "Hahah, yeah, bye," she returned the gesture and then hurried off to the convenience store.

Her heart was pounding loudly and she had to even out her breathing, but the ringing of her phone did not make he calm at all; in fact, she jumped in the air and gulped. Her hands were shaking and she almost dropped her phone, "Yes?"

"Hey, where are you? You said you would be here like ten minutes ago," Arturia was a little impatient.

"Um actually," Jeanne played with one of the curls of her hair, "I went to the convenience store to buy some cookies but I think I see your boyfriend, he's blond, right?"

"No, he has black hair and orange eyes, plus he's got a beauty mark,"

"Where? Where does he have the beauty mark," Jeanne crossed her fingers, hoping that it wasn't her tutor.

"Under his right eye, why?"

"Darn!" Jeanne gasped.

"What? What is it?"

Jeanne too a deep breath, "Something came up and I cannot make it, I am so sorry Artie, but I cannot make it." She hung up the phone before Arturia could counter attack.

Arturia furrowed her brows and frowned, "Jea—What the heck?" She growled after realizing that her friend left her on the line.

Arturia huffed and turned off her phone, "My friend can't make it today," she walked back to the living room, where he sat on the couch a little bit uncomfortably.

"Oh," he looked at her, still sitting rather stiff, "that's too bad."

"Well, since my friend cannot come, how about we go to the Amusement Park? I mean there is nothing else to do," Arturia shrugged, her lips in a thin line, almost a frown.

"The Amusement Park?" He blinked.

"Yes, the park;" she nodded, "surely you must have gone at least once."

"No, no," he shook his head, "I have gone."

"Okay, good." She gave him another nod and then walked over to the door, where he soon followed her to.

They were silent as they left her house, and entered his car. He did not fail to open the car door for her and be the gentleman he was. He rounded the car and entered it before he turned to her and he smiled, "I am glad that we get to meet up today,"

"Yes," She mumbled as she put on her seat belt, "I think so as well. But anyways, she looked out her window, how was work?"

"It went well, I had to tutor a boy today so it wasn't much trouble for me, but I just saw one of my female students on my way here," He put the car in drive, "What a small world, huh?"

"Oh, she lives around here?" Arturia turned to him and furrowed her brows.

"Yes, she lives a few houses away from you," he nodded in response, "a bright girl. She's really good at chemistry."

"Oh, I see," she nodded, "well, it is a rather small world these days."

"Oh," Diarmuid frowned, "I was really hoping to get to meet your friend," he huffed, "well, maybe next time." He seemed hopeful about it, but it made Arturia feel a bit guilty.

"Yeah, next time." She tried to make her smile more genuine while trying to ignore the fact that her friend had annoyed her greatly. The rest of the ride was silent and they finally arrived at the Amusement Park without any complaints and no awkward red lights and songs on the radio; which Arturia was grateful for.

Diarmuid gave another smile, "So where to first? The spinning cups or the roller coaster?"

She ran a hand through her hair and nodded, "Roller coaster, I feel the cups will make me sick." She deadpanned and then made her way ahead of him, her lips in a straight line. If she was not going to look genuinely happy then she was going to look serious to try to hide her stress, and hopefully to make him a little bit more distant as she tried to make sense of things and of the relationship that they were in. She knew that it was going to be hard, but at least she would get the thoughts straight and not dwell all over the place.

Nothing had seemed to go Arturia's way because most of the main roller coasters were requiring her to be _**4** **entire**_ inches taller; and it was not like her shoes would give her that extra boost anyways. Maybe the Amusement Park was not the brightest idea. Sighing in defeat, she rolled her eyes and settled for the dreaded spinning cups.

"I did not know you were—"

"Do not dare say it." Arturia growled his way, "They simply cannot allow a king to hurt herself." She tried to make up a stupid excuse of why she was not allowed on most of the rides. She usually got away with those four inches when she was with Jeanne because the people did not notice the two inch difference, but standing next to a man that was an entire foot taller than you... well that was a totally different story.

"Well then, my King, do you want to ride the Ferris wheel instead?" He looked over at her (more like down at her).

Arturia licked a bit of her vanilla Ice Cream and glanced at him, "But it's so slow."

"But," he reasoned, "You'll be the King of the Hill," he winked at her.

She tilted her head, "Alright, I guess," she shrugged.


	4. Anger and Anxiety

Jeanne sat at her dinner table, her notes out and a textbook a few centimetres away. She looked at the book and patiently waited for its owner to come back from a washroom break. She watched as he entered the room and sat down next to her again.

_Was it really him?_

She bit her lower lip and kept on intently watching him. A beauty mark, orange eyes like shiny ambers... It _was_ him.

"Yes?" The man looked at her as he had realized she had been staring at him for quite a bit of time.

Jeanne froze and then gulped, "Uh, I-I was just thinking about you-your girlfriend. You know, the one that lives around here?"

Diarmuid furrowed his brows and then nodded, "Yes, what about her?"

"Well, um, I want to know if I _know_ know her, you know?" Alright, so this was embarrassing—she could barely even talk properly. Her stuttering was driving her insane and she did not really know how to talk to the boyfriend of her best friend.

The male nodded again, "Oh, alright."

"She's blonde and short, right? Like two inches shorter than me, right?" Jeanne thought it best to ramble on, maybe he would just think she was crazy or something instead.

"Yes, that sounds right."

The female bit her cheek and played with the buttons on her button-up shirt, "And she's got these green eyes, yeah?"

"Mhmm," the man hummed as his head bobbed, "but how do you know Arturia?"

"Pendragon, yes?" Last chance that it wasn't her. Fingers crossed.

"Yes..."

"Small neighbourhood, haha." Jeanne shrugged as she giggled nervously and wanted to freak out right there and then. Fighting the urge to stand from her seat and run around screaming in the dinner room was causing her all her will power.

Diarmuid nodded slowly and turned his attention back at the chemistry textbook before explaining one of the concepts.

It was as if Jeanne was not even there sitting next to him at the kitchen table because everything he said wasn't even entering her ear. Let alone leaving right out the other. It was as if her ears were blocked and she was not even paying attention, nothing was being processed because all she was thinking about was her friend and the fact that she was DATING her TUTOR!

It was her phone ringing that was the only thing that snapped her out of her trance. She looked down at her caller I.D and saw the ridiculously zoomed in picture of her friend making a funny face and the title displaying "The King of Eww" with a few hearts and kissy faces around it.

Jeanne swiped the phone from the table so that her tutor would not see it and then smiled innocently at him, "It's important, I have to take this. Do you want a snack?" She grinned as she stood and watched him nod slowly.

She headed for the kitchen as she answered the phone, "Halo?" Her French was showing.

"Hey bro," Arturia greeted from the other side, "How are you?"

"Hm, great." Alright, so she was very upset with her friend for not telling her that her boyfriend was entirely seven years older than her, "And you?"

"Goooood," Arturia dragged out the word.

"How's your boyfriend?" Jeanne peaked out of the kitchen and watched as Diarmuid checked his phone.

"He's working right now, so I wanted to ask if you wanted to go to the Movies today. They're showing this movie about the Maid of Orleans, it seems super cool; want to go?"

"Uh," Jeanne pried open her refrigerator and pulled out some celery. She then went to get a knife and a cutting board, "Actually. No."

"What? Why? Come on!"

"Why don't you ask your boyfriend?" The French girl washed the celery and closed the faucet a little harshly.

The other line was silent for a while, "I asked him, but he can't, he's going out with his brother."

"So, how old is he? Your boyfriend?" Her usually sweet voice was beginning to raise.

"Um… I don't think I've ever asked him… Uh, why?"

"Well! Do YOU have any idea that he's SEVEN years older than you?" Jeanne began to cut the celery a little too loudly, making sure that the sound that it made against the cutting board intimidated her friend.

"What? No, that's not true," Arturia argued, "Is he?"

"YES! For goodness' sake! Are you out of your mind? HOW ON EARTH can you be dating a man so much older than you?!" The poor girl chopped down on the celery hard and fast so that she kept her anger a little in check.

There was a grunt, "What? No! He's probably in third year university tops."

"No!" Jeanne yelled, "He's much older than that! He's SEVEN years older! **SEVEN**!"

"How do you know? You've never met him." Arturia was sure to sass back, she was already heated over the topic.

"But I have!"

"Really? Liar!"

"YOUR boyfriend is MY," She made sure to lower her voice when she was about to utter the dreadful word, " _tutor._ " She made sure to quietly hiss over the phone so that the male could not hear the last word.

Arturia seemed to have dropped her phone or hung up because her side of the line went silent as Jeanne grabbed two plate and peanut butter from the kitchen cabinets and slamming the shut. She then peaked her head out and held the knife in her hand still as she smiled innocently at Diarmuid, "Are you, perhaps, allergic to peanut butter?" She fluttered her eye lashes.

The man sat frightened in his seat, probably even shaking a little. He slowly shook his head and answered, "No, I am not."

"Perfect!" She still kept her innocent smile that seemed to be more frightening to Diarmuid than a creepy one.

"Are you still there?" Jeanne groaned into the phone once she re-entered the kitchen fully, "Fine, ignore me, whatever."

After finishing the snack, Jeanne walked back to Diarmuid with two plates in her hands and set them on the wooden table with a smile, "Forgive me, I must have been a _little_ upset with my friend, you see…She never seems to listen to me. Haha," she giggled as she shrugged.

"Y-yes, o-of course." Diarmuid wiped the sweat from his brow and gave a nervous smile. A girl had never frightened him so much before…

* * *

**_:~~~~~~:_ **

* * *

It had been a week since they started school again and Arturia and Jeanne had already patched things up. Arturia said that she would keep dating Diarmuid because she liked him still, but it was impossible for Jeanne to be introduced as her best friend. Jeanne had agreed to not mention their friendship and not give him the 'Be-nice-to-my-best-friend-or-else' talk.

It was a Tuesday afternoon right before the bell while everyone was waiting for last period Chemistry to start. Arturia swung her legs back and forth as she patiently sat still with her hands on the desk.

Jeanne was standing in front of her and they were going on about what they were going to eat after school, because if there was one thing that Arturia loved to do… it was eat.

It was a couple of minutes before the bell would ring when a girl came in squealing and rapidly jumping up and down repeatedly. She had interrupted everyone's conversations as she softly screamed and ran up to her friends.

"You know the hot tutor I told you guys about?" She was sighing and squealing all at the same time.

One of her friends immediately smiled, a brunette with dark brown eyes, "You got together with him?"

The red haired female huffed, "I wish! But no, he's our teacher!"

"The one that you kept going on about?" Another chirped.

"Yes! The really cute one with the beauty mark; ugh!" Jeanne was careful to over hear the conversation because when she mentioned the beauty mark; she was rather surprised. And since Diarmuid was quite a bit older, he was a viable candidate.

The bell rang and the last of the students trickled into the class. Jeanne sat down in her seat but Arturia continued to sit on the desk as they were both rather anxious.

Jeanne turned back to the female that had babbled on about the new teacher, "Sorry, what's his name?"

"Mr. Ua Duibhne," the other female smirked, "but he's mine! So do not even _think_ to look at him!"

Jeanne's eyes grew wide and she pushed her friend off the desk and quickly stood, "Washroom," she growled as she hooked an arm around her friend and dragged her out of the class. Jeanne looked both ways before they left and she made a break for it while Arturia was dragged along.

"What? What? What?" Arturia groaned as they reached the bathroom, "What's wrong with you?"

"Don't you understand? The new teacher is Diarmuid!" Her friend barked.

Arturia seemed dumbfounded and she just blinked, "Hm? What?"

"Either you broke or you've hit your head. Diarmuid is our teacher!"

The Englishwoman ran a hand through her hair and huffed, "Crap..." She breathed.

"What are we going to do now?" Jeanne bit her nail as she leaned back on the sink. The automatic faucet going on behind her and making jump forwards.

"What am _I_ going to do? You really don't have a problem, he doesn't know you're my friend."

Jeanne rolled her eyes and huffed as she crossed her arms over her chest, "Yes but it isn't like I'm going to stop being friends with you." She reasoned.

"You're not supposed to be involved; okay? So go back to class and pretend that you just came a bit late. Make sure it's really him and then text me. I'll skip and you get my bag for me, okay?" Arturia thought of the easiest plan on the spot.

"Um..." Jeanne looked down at her feet as she rubbed her neck.

"What?"

The Frenchwoman breathed, "You can't skip class forever, plus, he'll recognize your name..."

"We'll think of something after school and then I don't know; hopefully something will come to mind."

"I hope," Jeanne bit her lower lip, "because this is illegal."

"Jeanne, please," Arturia glared at her because her comment had ticked her off, "go back to class now."

Jeanne clucked her tongue and nodded, "Okay," she slowly turned on her heel and left through the bathroom door.

Arturia walked about the washroom and continuously ran her hands through her hair, "What have I gotten myself into?"

Meanwhile, Jeanne slipped into the classroom slowly and gave a small nod as to excuse herself when she had seen all the heads in the room turn to her and then proceeded to sit at her desk. She smiled at the teacher and dreaded the fact that it was actually him. Black tousled locks somehow held back, eyes shining like ambers, thin pale lips and the dreaded beauty mark that defined him—right under his eye.

He was standing next to the board with his name written on it and smiled at the class; his smile grew when his eyes landed on Jeanne. "Well, now that all of you know who I am and know what I did before, we can start on attendance and then our first class. But before we go any further; are there any questions?" The male gave another warm smile and Jeanne just wanted to fall face first on her desk because Arturia was deep in cow dung.

"Sir!" A girl chirped behind Jeanne, Jeanne looked over and saw the brunette waving her hand back and forth.

"Yes?" She heard Diarmuid.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" She fluttered her eyelashes and made some sort of 'pretty' pose.

Jeanne shot her head from her female classmate to her new teacher in (what seemed like) less than a millisecond and it even caused her pain. Her eyes were wide and expectant and she stared him down.

She watched his jaw clench as he held an awkward smile and his cheeks flooded pink in seconds. He bit his lower lip and nodded, "That's a bit of a personal question... But uh, um..." He trailed.

"So you don't?" The girl chirped again. Man, was she cheerful.

"I, um, I do have a girlfriend." He spoke softly, a little embarrassed.

Jeanne gave a hopeful nod—they were going out! And then her smile dropped when the female behind her began to speak again.

"Are you sure sir? You did not seem so certain about that..."

Jeanne kept her gaze on him and simply waited for his answer.

"I am certain, she is one of the only women I find perfect. Now, enough about me and since there are no more non-personal questions; we can start our lesson." He grumbled before turning back to the board.

Jeanne gave a nod and the lesson started, she noted that he had forgotten to take attendance and silently praised God for it. That was until the lesson ended and someone _had_ to remind him to take attendance.

"Forgive me if I mispronounce some of these," he simply stated.

The young blond female pouted and sighed as he began calling the names of the students. Her name came around and he looked over at her as she mumbled, "Here."

He gave her a smile before looking back down at the paper and Jeanne repeated the names in her head with more and more anxiety as he approached Arturia's. When it was turn for her name to be called, Jeanne watched him closely.

He looked at the attendance sheet and blinked a couple of times, then his head shot up and he looked about the classroom.

She saw his Adam's apple bob as he gulped and then looked down at the sheet.

"I know sir, who names their child Arturia?" Gráinne, the girl that had asked him if he had a girlfriend, giggled.

Diarmuid looked upon her and gave her a short glare before looking back at the sheet in his hands. "Well, Arturia Pendragon?" It seemed like he had wanted to forget what the other young lady had said whilst he wished that his girlfriend was not actually the same girl on the sheet. There was no answer and he noted that the brown haired girl snickered.

"She was here before the bell rang; guess she decided to skip," the girl shrugged.

"Maybe because there are people as hateful as you." A male joined the argument. Jeanne tilted her head over to the young man that defended her best friend and was glad to see Gawain shooting a glare at Gráinne.

Jeanne gave him a hidden thumbs up and then a smile as he nodded her way.

The teacher seemed to remain uncomfortably quiet until he opened his mouth, "Well, let's continue and not bicker." He said before going on to continue with the attendance. After he had finished, he looked over the class once more and sighed.

_She was too good to be true..._

It was a few minutes after the bell rang signalling the end of the day that Jeanne's phone vibrated. She looked down at it and saw the message of her friend, "Did he leave the class yet?"

Jeanne huffed and responded with a simple yes, aside from the fact that he was still in the classroom cleaning the whiteboard. Her friend needed to face him, and tell him the truth.

"Aren't you going home, Jeanne? Everyone already left." Diarmuid turned to look at her. She was the only one left in class, and he was worried if she had also fallen for him; he did not want that happening to him.

Jeanne looked about and noticed that indeed everyone had already left, "Actually," she turned back to the handsome teacher, "I'm just waiting for someone." She then shrugged as she felt her heart beating faster at the thought of the encounter and very serious talk that her best friend and her boyfriend were going to have.

The door clicked open and Arturia entered the room quickly, holding a hand over her heart. "Thank God that he's gone. I didn't catch a glimpse of him in the hall; so all's well that ends well." She breathed as he headed for her friend, "I don't know what I'm going to do now. I thought and thought about it but what am I going to tell him? Should I switch classes?"

"If only it was that easy to avoid me." Arturia jumped at the sound of her (probably now ex) boyfriend's voice.

"Shit," she was not one to swear often, but the opportunity presented itself. She was sure to glare at Jeanne and give her a betrayed look before taking a deep breath.

Jeanne shrugged, "You both need to talk." She stood from her seat and ran out of the classroom before even letting Arturia say some sort of comeback.

The male cleared his throat as he leaned on the demonstration bench at the front of the class.

Arturia slowly turned to him as he heart began to beat rapidly in her chest, "Hey." She waved her hand timidly.

"Do you mind explaining yourself?" She watched his lips as he spoke.


	5. Talk Things Through

"Do you mind explaining yourself?" Diarmuid had his arms crossed over his chest, disappointment clear in his amber eyes as he blinked and waited for her to reply.

Arturia could obviously tell that he was furious and upset with her. She silently cursed her friend and lifted her head properly to meet his gaze, "It's obvious, is it not?"

The new chemistry teacher shook his head as he huffed, "No, so tell me."

"I…honestly did not think you were this old. I literally just found out that you were my teacher. I thought you were probably in third year university and since I am turning eighteen, I did not think of it much." She shrugged.

"Did not—ugh! Arturia, do you have any idea—look," he breathed as he ran a hand through his hair a little exasperatedly and opened his mouth to continue but the girl before him cut him off.

"Diarmuid—"

"Mister Ua Duibhne." He corrected as he looked down at his feet and scratched his arm.

"This would not have happened if you told me from the beginning that you were aspiring to be a teacher."

Diarmuid nearly rolled his eyes, "And this would not have happened if you had told me that you were not eighteen!"

"You never asked!"

"What does that have to do with anything? Even if I _was_ in third year university, it is technically illegal to be dating you because you are under aged and then I would be accused for pressuring you into a relationship."

"But it would not matter if I care about you; I could be able to back you up."

"It would mean that your ideas are influenced by me, I would still be arrested, and did you even think about how my position is jeopardized? That all I have worked for could be ruined because I was dating you—without even knowing that you were seventeen!"

Arturia crossed her arms over her chest and huffed, "I'll be eighteen in a couple of months anyway."

Diarmuid furrowed his brows and lifted his hands in question, "But are you eighteen right now? I don't think so."

The female frowned and rolled her eyes before balling her fists and taking a step closer towards him, "Then what is it that you want me to do? Because you're just blabbering on and on about the problem but you expect me to just listen to you?"

"Well, if you—"

"Is everything alright?" The principal had seemed to hear chatter from the hallway and decided it best to check it out.

Arturia's heart skipped a beat as her eyes widened and her head shot towards the older female, "Um,"

"Yes, Miss Grail." The man smiled, "Arturia used to be one of the many students that I had tutored and so she was wondering if the tutoring would stop. She was just asking me where she would find a tutor to help her out and since I gave her such a short notice, she's very upset with me, as you can see."

The principal smiled and nodded, "Oh, well, it is rather late. It would be best to speak about this later as school already has been dismissed."

Arturia nodded and refrained from saying a word as her and the principal were never on good terms. She slung her bag over her shoulder and mumbled a 'goodbye' before squeezing past the lady in gold and out of the classroom.

The young girl fished out her phone from her pocket and called her friend. It took three rings for the other female to answer. "Halo?" The normal French greeting came from the taller blond and Arturia descended the school stairs like The Flash.

Arturia took a deep breath to calm herself down, trying not to yell at her friend over the phone, "Jeanne, do you have any idea what you did?"

"You had to talk about it. It was not as if you could ignore him forever." There was a lid and audible sigh from the other side of the door.

"Meet me at my place in ten, we will talk about this there."

"I'm already here, I knew you were upset." Usually, whenever Arturia was upset with Jeanne, she would tell her to go over and so Jeanne had already foreseen her fate with her best friend.

Jeanne heard Arturia as she hung up and then settled into the couch as she turned on the television. Spongebob playing and a tub of Mango Sorbet in her hands as she laughed at the children's show.

The French girl laughed at the situations in the cartoon and even tried to hide her laughter from the empty house. She watched as Spongebob, the main character, tries to take control of the dilemma at and as she shoved another spoon of the sorbet in her mouth.

The front door was chucked open and closed as loud footsteps filled the house and Jeanne paid little attention to the noise as her eyes were glued onto the screen and then a figure stood between her and the television.

"I'm watching," Jeanne grumbled as she moved the short figure to the side with her foot.

"And I need to have a talk with you." Arturia huffed as she crossed her arms over her chest, clearly upset with the female before her.

"After this episode, okay? It's almost over anyways." Jeanne spoke before eating another spoonful of sorbet.

"Um, no, Jeanne. This is serious." The shorter of the two walked to the television and turned it off, earning a grunt from the other, "Plus, who told you that you could eat the sorbet?"

"Hey," Jeanne frowned whilst she pointed her spoon at her friend, "you ate all my ice cream last time! Need I remind you…"

"Right," Arturia recalled but then shook her head, "that's not the point though! How could you lie to me?!"

"Oh, that." The violet-eyed female smiled innocently and shrugged, "It was necessary. You guys had to talk about it."

"Jeaaaanne! You ruined it all! We would have figured something out—but now it's all over," Arturia sighed as she fell on the couch next to Jeanne.

"Want some?" Jeanne passed the jar of sorbet over to her friend.

"Thanks." Arturia took the spoon from the other's hand and proceeded to dig out some of the mango goodness.

"Artie, I know that you like him quite a bit and I'm sorry... But it needed to be done. You guys couldn't continue the relationship with the fact that you are his student." Jeanne rubbed Arturia's back in order to comfort her and keep her under control, "You know that's better like this. Trust me, you can find someone like him."

Arturia chuckled solemnly and shrugged, "I doubt it. He was pretty cool; we had a lot in common. Now what, do I have to settle for Gilgamesh?"

Jeanne shivered at the thought of him and shook her head, "He's too cocky."

"I know that."

There was a long pause and Jeanne clapped her hands, "I got it!" She cheered.

Arturia blinked and turned to her, the spoonful of sorbet in her mouth, "Hmm?"

Jeanne took out a green binder from her backpack and then opened it. The little click sounded as she took out a paper and placed it on the table. Then she rummaged through the smaller pocket in her bag and took out a red pen with a little feather on top of it—she collected pens.

Arturia watched as she wrote something down on the paper and then passed it over to her, "What is it?" the green-eyed girl took the paper from her and slowly read over it. " _Oh_ …"

"Exactly. So just skip Friday and I'll set things up for you. I mean, it would be very awkward if you both saw one another in class tomorrow either way." She shrugged, "Plus, this way you guys can actually talk about it, not get interrupted like you already did."

"Are you certain that this is going to work, though?"

"One hundred percent sure." Jeanne gave her thumbs up and a wide smile.

Arturia rolled her eyes and set the paper down on the coffee table, "I do hope so."

* * *

_**:~~~~~Saturday~~~~~:** _

* * *

Jeanne hummed as she walked about her kitchen and prepared some cookies. She danced about to Parisian music as her friend sat patiently on one of the stools by the island of the kitchen.

Arturia rested her head on her hands and had her eyes closed as she hoped that the songs could soothe her rapidly beating heart. She took deep breaths and thought about the plan the Jeanne had devised.

Jeanne had suggested that when Diarmuid came to her house for the last Tutoring she was to receive from him, she would sneak out mid-lesson and Jeanne would replace her and since there was no one at home for her brothers were in soccer practice and her parents were at work, Arturia and Diarmuid could fix the bad blood between them and figure how to put up with each other.

The bell ring and Jeanne gasped and then turned to Arturia, "This is it!" She put her hands together after having wiped the water off on her apron. She took the purple apron off and pushed Arturia up the stairs. "I'll text you when we need to switch; until then, stay in my room and don't you dare make a noise."

Arturia nodded and ran up the stairs as Jeanne went to get the door.

"Hello sir!" Jeanne smiled and stepped aside as the tall handsome man entered the house.

Diarmuid gave her a smile and followed her to the dining room where they usually held the study sessions because her mother said that having a boy in your room was always asking for trouble.

"So um," the man began as they took a seat at the table, "I'm guessing that you were the friend that Arturia was wanting me to meet… And Arturia was the friend you were talking on the phone with the other day when you were yelling…"

Jeanne laughed a little nervously and nodded slowly, "Yeah… You hit the head of the nail there. I'm very sorry about that all."

Diarmuid nodded and accepted her apology as he opened the Chemistry textbook and began the final lesson about orbitals.

The two did not talk about anything other than chemistry for half an hour and then Jeanne smiled as she said that it was time for their five minute break. She stood from her seat and straightened out her white sundress before walking to the kitchen with her phone in her hand, "So are you excited to teach a bunch of twelfth graders?" She asked from the kitchen as she took out the cookies from the oven, inhaling the sweet smell of the sweets.

"I guess so." Diarmuid nodded lightly even though she was not able to see him.

"That's great," she smiled as she sent Arturia the text to tell her to get ready and then served the cookies into a plate. She walked to the table again and set the plate full of cookies down and smiling at him, "Don't eat them yet because they're still hot. Well I have to go upstairs for a second okay?" She said as he gave a nod and then she proceeded to leave the room.

Jeanne got to the stairs that were near the front door and watched Arturia come down the stair, "This is it!" She silently cheered her friend on and pushed her towards the kitchen, "You go girl!"

Arturia took a deep breath and entered the dining room without saying a word.

"Should we continue?" Diarmuid spoke as he picked up his pen and began to write down the next question that he wanted Jeanne to complete.

"Yes, I do think we need to continue our talk." Arturia's voice came and Diarmuid's head shot back to her with wide eyes and a frown.

"Is this…hmpf… Arturia—"

"You're going to tell me that this relationship needs to end, right?" She gulped, prepared to hear that but still feeling her heart constrict a little and her hands shaking because she was nervous, "I never knew that you were that much older, I never truly meant this all."

Diarmuid stayed silent as he stood from his seat and walked towards her, his hands in his trouser pockets, "I'm sorry, I should be the one apologizing because it was me who asked you out anyways. I'm sorry, but I think that this relationship that we have needs to stop. I mean, I feel this was already mutually agreed but this is just to set it in stone… I really do apologize for that, I should have asked you—"

"You don't need to apologize. It was not your fault as I also accepted the offer…" Arturia rubbed her hands together, "I don't want to fight with you, I simply want to fix things up and continue, if we can…"

Diarmuid gave a hopeless smile as he shook his head, "No, we can't continue this anymore. We have to pretend nothing even happened."

"Please—"

"Arturia, it won't work out for us." He spoke as he turned back towards the table and packed his things before walking towards the doorway, "You have to remember that you're my student."

"Of course." Arturia nodded and watched as he left from the Dining room's entry way and saw as he bid Jeanne a goodbye and told her that she did not need to pay for the session as he closed the door behind himself.


	6. Jealousy Killed the Cat

Monday soon came with the extreme nervousness of Arturia as her day went with awkwardness and a bit of embarrassment. She kept silent in all her classes and did not disobey her teachers as she usually did. By the time that the last class came and Jeanne sat next to her while other students filled the science classroom, Arturia was not looking forward to seeing the tall male (quite literally as she did not lift her head from her desk).

Attendance was another awkward hassle as she tried not to make eye contact or even feel anything when he called her name from the list and she responded nonchalantly. Jeanne had nudged her and teased her about the fact that she was blushing when he called her name but the Englishwoman had given the other a death glare that made Jeanne nearly jump in her seat.

Girls tried to flirt with the teacher throughout the lesson and it really bothered Arturia, some would even stay behind when the ball had signaled the end of the school day. Arturia had stood from her chair and followed Jeanne out the door, turning back and catching a glimpse of Grainne giggling at something that Diarmuid had said. She bawled her hands into fists and gave a glare—even as the other had not noticed, before she continued out of the class.

Jeanne walked a little ahead of her as she was talking to Gawain about the lesson on orbitals and whatever else it was. The long-haired female was trying to explain a concept to the male while Arturia dragged herself along to their lockers. Since Gawain had his locker relatively close to the class, they stopped by his first and then continued up the stairs to Arturia's, that was where Gawain had bid them a farewell because he said that he needed to get to football club.*

"Well, you know what they say, Artie," Jeanne spoke after she deemed the male to be far enough, "Jealousy killed the cat."

Arturia shot her head towards Jeanne as she pulled out her physics textbook, "Um, no, they don't say that. It is _curiosity_ killed the cat, not jealousy. Anyway, what do mean by that?"

Jeanne shrugged, "Basically the same thing. But what was is it, comment-dit on? Ah, oui, Jealousy is a green-eyed _monster_. Or devil, take your pick." *

Green-eyes rolled and Arturia zipped up her backpack, "Right, but I don't get you."

"I saw the way you looked at Grainne, chill, okay? It isn't like he's going from telling you that he can't have a relationship with a student and then going to go out with Grainne. Plus, you know how she is—she already has a boyfriend."

Arturia slammed her locker closed, "I was not jealous." She clearly lied and Jeanne had to bite her lip so that she wouldn't call her best friend out on it.

"Right, of course." The Frenchwoman nodded slowly as she tried her best to believe her friend, even though her attitude was not helping the slightest bit.

The rest of the week went on similar to this, Arturia avoiding Diarmuid at all costs and getting aggravated with Grainne and the other girls that were trying to flirt with him. In fact, she was even getting quite upset with Diarmuid because he was not doing anything to stop the behaviour of the girls but he had gone out of his way to tell her that things would not work out between them.

It had been two weeks since they had officially ended things and Arturia was even being sassy towards her chemistry teacher, to the point that he had been tempted to give her detention when she had offended him in the middle of the lesson.

"Miss Pendragon, stay after class." He grumbled after she had offended him for the second time during the lesson. He gave her a short glare and the entire class filled with sounds of amusement the way all students do when someone gets in trouble.

Jeanne had turned her head towards her best friend and gave her a look of disappointment.

"What?" Arturia whispered, as if she had done nothing wrong.

"Just don't get in any more trouble." Jeanne whispered back as the lesson continued.

The end of the class had come and the students slowly trickled out, since the females lingered for a while after, she was able to finish the homework as she waited for everyone to leave the class. She did not like the school and always wished for the day to fly because she was not in any mood to learn a single thing. Of course she always finished her homework and had straight eighties; she always tried her best.

"Mister Ua Duibhne, I must go. Now. So if you would be so kind as to excuse me..." She stood from her seat as she collected her books. It had already been half an hour after class ended and she wanted to get home as soon as was humanly possible.

Diarmuid sighed loudly again and turned to face her, "Do you hate me or something?" He leaned back on the demonstration bench—something he seemed to do when he was upset with her.

She kept silent as she swung her bag over her shoulder and walked to the door. She turned around for a second to look at him, "Maybe." She said before exiting the classroom for good. She heard him call to her but she ignored it.

"What did he want to talk about?" Jeanne asked, leaning on Arturia's locker, arms over her chest and long braid hanging to her thighs as usual.

Arturia rolled her eyes and took a deep breath, "If I hated him."

The blue eyed girl laughed lightly and stepped aside. "Well do you? Because sometimes I think you're acting ridiculous when I know that you genuinely feel something for him."

"Yeah right," She nodded, her stubborn curl bobbing slightly as she tried to sound as sassy as possible.

"Personally, I think that he is a rather good teacher, non?"

"What does that have to do with me hating him?"

Jeanne shrugged, "But you don't. Plus, you can't deny he's good at teaching." The taller of the two groaned as they continued to walk down the stairs.

"I mean... He is good at teaching, but he's such a flirt. Like I get that you're handsome but does that mean that you can flirt with the girls in class?" She shrugged, her green eyes rolling once more.

"You're just jealous that he doesn't talk to you. He isn't even flirting with them, they're flirting with him; gosh. And you say that you aren't jealous."

Arturia collected her books and dropped off her physics, "Yeah, whatever."

"I have to get home; I only came to remind you that the assignment is due tomorrow." Jeanne smiled, knowing that the other would quickly board her motorcycle and drive off.

"The English assignment?"

"Oui, good luck with it, because I know you have not even started on it."

"Do you need a ride home?" Arturia questioned, her eyebrow raising.

Jeanne shivered and shook her head to decline the offer, "Have I not said that I do not like motorcycles; they scare me—in case you have forgotten."

Arturia nodded and sighed. "Right, almost forgot." She stated.

"What a great friend I have," Jeanne shook her head in fake disappointment and shrugged, "Well, see you tomorrow!"

"Alright then, see you tomorrow."

"Au revoir!" And with a simple wave of her hand, Jeanne walked off in the opposite direction of where the other young girl was heading, since the parking lot was usually at the back of the school.

Arturia shoved her books in her backpack and grabbed the sweater that remained in her locker. She took off the school blazer and placed on the hanger inside the locker and then put on a large black baggy sweater; 'Mumford and Sons' it read across the chest. She slung the bag over her shoulders again and pulled out her white iPod, plugging in the head phones and pressing the play button. Music filled her ears as she passed the hallways and headed for the parking lot.

"Arturia!" She had not heard it at first but her name came again and again.

The blond head spun around and she came face-to-face with the 6 feet tall male, well, more like face-to-chest. Her green orbs followed up from the pine green tie to the man's face. She saw his lips move but did not hear him, then she remembered her ear buds. She removed one of the white headphones and looked up at him with a confused face.

"You left your phone and book behind." The young teacher handed her the two items.

She took them in her hands and kept silent, only staring at him with a serious face, quite upset that she had to see him because she was hoping that she would get home without having to run into any body.

"Oh, um, be careful will you? Motorcycles are involved in lots of accidents lately; drivers are also careless around this time of year." His hand went to rub the back of his neck as the girl stood still, one ear listening to music and the other to his voice.

She returned the objects and turned around.

"Are they not—"

"Can you put them in my bag?" She grumbled, the time had come and passed to put her items inside her bag and she was too lazy to take it off again just to put a stupid phone and book in—although it was a really good book.

"Ah." The man chuckled and slowly opened her bag, "I thought you were going to leave." He placed the things neatly inside and closed the bag again.

"I can take care of myself, by the way." She stated before walking away and putting the ear bud back on.

* * *

Her face was focused on the phone in her hands, Jeanne had said she would call but it had been an entire day and she had not said a single thing. The poor girl wanted to know where her friend was, and she felt worried for she had not heard a single word. She had not seen her during their break time and even after school.

The phone danced like a hot potato in her hands as it rang and she quickly went to answer it, putting her motorbike on the neutral setting. "Hello." Her voice made it seem as she was not expecting the call for fear that it was not her friend.

"Hey, sorry, I had no signal for a while." The delicate voice came through the phone.

"Thank God, I was so worried, how have you been, has everything been alright? I haven't heard from you for an entire day, I was getting worried you were sick or something… You never do this to me, and you even missed Chem."

"Ah yes, I woke up a bit late and had things to finish during lunch and during Chemistry and after school I had a club meeting. You know, since I'm in the student council and all."

"Oh, that's right, I forgot that the student council gets to skip classes when they want... How was the meeting?"

"It was good, there was nothing much that we talked about. No school activities or anything, you know." The other spoke calmly.

"Okay, then we are still meeting up, right?" Arturia smiled.

"I promise I'll be at your place in an hour." With that the two girls bid a small farewell and Arturia proceeded to put her phone away and turned the notch on her motorcycle to finalize the parking.

She entered the dollar store* and walked about, finally getting to the snack isle. She looked at the cookies and candies that lined the shelves. She would get some chocolate and some gummy worms, maybe chips if she was feeling up to them, what was it that Jeanne liked; Doritos? She also needed drinks… Sprite would do.

The chocolate was easy to get because it was about waist level. But the gummy worms were a different story, or even on a different story. Being five feet tall was a problem, both because there were times she could not reach things and because people were taller than her while she was hoping to be intimidating. She tried to reach it a couple of times but after thinking to stop embarrassing herself, she stopped. The chips seemed like a tempting offer at the time due to the given situation.

Glaring back up at the gummy worms, she sighed loudly, getting irritated already and thinking of where the Doritos could have been.

"Here." A person offered and brought down two packs of gummy worms.

Arturia's head whipped towards the figure and, rather than being mad as she would always be, she smiled being grateful for the person. "Thank—" She tilted her head to the right and furrowed her blond eyebrows, "You." Her voice was a little sharp that time around.

"Oh, Pendragon, you look rather cute in that outfit, since it gets boring seeing you in a school uniform all the time," he laughed and turned to leave, "I should be off now."

"Yeah, you should be," She replied.

He turned around, lifting a blonde eyebrow in confusion. She walked up to him and glared up at him. "Thanks for the gummies." She murmured up at him, her eyes still glaring as he had a cocky smile on his features.

Her green orbs looked away from him and she turned to leave, he looked at her and took a hold of her wrist before she left. "So are you going to have a party without me?" He smirked down at her, eyes glistening with some deviousness.

"Not exactly a party, see you Monday." She waved and watched as she shook her own hand from his grasp. But he would not let her go, the smirk still plastered on his face that it somewhat irritated her, "Let go."

"Can't let my girlfriend go."

"Gilgamesh," she grunted loudly, "Just let me get my Doritos."

"What kind of party is it if I am not invited?" He questioned, his blond hair nearly covering his red eyes and some weird outfit with a black and white mini jacket—if she could even call it that.

"I said that it was not a party, only Jeanne is coming over," She rolled her eyes.

"Hope not." The male blinked down at her and let her hand go, "See you Monday, babe."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Soccer*
> 
> *How does one say? Ah, yes,*
> 
> *This story takes place in Canada bc I live in Canada and I don't write much about what I don't know :$$$$$ SORRRYYYYY*


	7. Free Food is the Way to Bribe

"Hurry up, Arturia, Gil's waiting," Jeanne stood by the other's side of the desk and tapped her foot impatiently as the other leisurely packed her binder and text book.

They had planned to go out to eat with Gilgamesh and Gawain because Jeanne had told her to get her mind off of a certain teacher. Arturia had obviously denied her interest in the teacher but since the offer of food was very tempting, she agreed. In fact, she could say she had been bribed into going on a date with Gilgamesh—even though Jeanne did not call it a date.

"Arturia hurry up, it's our first official date!" Gilgamesh called from the door. He did seem a little impatient and upset because they were going to watch a movie first and it was about to start in twenty minutes.

Arturia turned her head towards the doorway, where Gilgamesh had called her from and frowned, "I thought I told you that it wasn't a date."

"It is, now come on!" He signalled her to approach but she shook her head as she swung the bag over her shoulder.

Arturia grumbled as she continued her way out of the class behind Jeanne. That was until she was stopped short by hand on her shoulder, "Pendragon." She heard the deep voice as she slowly turned her head to meet the soft amber eyes.

The young female blinked up at the man and furrowed her brows at him, "What is it?" She shook his hand off and signalled Jeanne to go ahead.

The man lifted his hand to reveal a paper and then she replied with another blink of her eyes, "Your assignment. I would just like to go over some things with you."

Arturia groaned and shook her head, "No can do, sir, you heard Gil; I have to hurry."

"Your boyfriend seems eager, but I must discuss things with you." Diarmuid had seemed a little possessive, the way he spoke to her.

"First," Arturia stuck out a finger, "Gil's not my boyfriend. Second," another finger stood, "we can talk about this tomorrow. And third, Gil is not my boyfriend. Now that things are clear," she smiled as she was still irritated, "I got to get going." She waved her hand and ran out of the classroom before he could stop her.

Diarmuid bit his lower lip as he set the papers on the teacher's desk and he plopped down on the spinning chair, what was wrong with him? He would sneak glances at her during the lessons and he would try to over hear the conversations of Jeanne and her. Her vibrant green eyes were something else, like newly polished emeralds and her hair was the colour that of wheat blowing in the wind when the sun sets in the countryside.

Diarmuid sighed as he shook his head and tried to get her out of his mind as much as humanly possible. "Student." He reminded himself under his breath as he gathered the papers from the table and prepared to go home.

He heard the door open and he had to peak over the indent of the room, he stood from his chair as he saw a brunette female enter the room silently and close the door behind herself. She put the lockdown cover over the window on the door and then turned to the teacher.

"Gráinne, um, what are you doing here?" He tilted his head and watched as she approached him with an excited smile.

"Oh! I wanted to ask you for your help on a question." Gráinne smiled brightly, blinking so that her eyelashes fluttered.

"How about we discuss it tomorrow in class? We have a Q and A and you could be helping others who have the same question," Diarmuid smiled and then stepped aside so that he would have a free passage to the door.

"But sir," the female pouted as she blinked up at him, a frown on her pink lips.

He looked at her and saw the disappointment in her eyes, he sighed as he gave up and put his bag back on the teacher's desk and nodded, "Okay, show me the question."

Gráinne's lips widened with delight and she set her bag down as well before taking the textbook out of it. She asked a few questions about the homework and when he deemed it too late, he dismissed her and she waved him a goodbye before leaving out the door.

Aside from goggly-eyes and twirling her hair, Gráinne didn't do anything that he was uncomfortable with and so he was thankful for that. He did notice that she had unbuttoned the top button on the uniform shirt but it was not done in a provocative way—of which was very relieving.

Although she was a bit flirty with him, she was much better than the other girls in many aspects but he wasn't going to get into the details of it. Instead, he packed his things and left the classroom, not forgetting to turn the lights off and lock the door behind himself.

Arturia was seated next to Jeanne and unfortunately, Gilgamesh was also seated to her left. Arturia had practically begged Jeanne if they could have switched seats since no one was to her right but Jeanne had turned her down because she didn't want to sit next to the "king of rudeness".

"It's not that I'm judging him, it's just that he's really mean to me." She had said before popping a kernel into her mouth and turning her head back to the screen.

Arturia had her arms crossed and she knew that she was not going to be enjoying the movie because her company was not the best. Instead, she sunk in her chair and waited for the movie to end. Arturia had to share the popcorn with Jeanne, but about half way into the movie, when Arturia reached for the popcorn, she noticed that the bag was empty and then her head shot towards Jeanne and the girl gave her an apologetic smile.

Arturia looked to her left and saw that Gilgamesh had a well filled popcorn bag, so she thought it was a good idea to reach for the popcorn while the male was distracted with the movie.

She waited until a climactic part of the movie and discretely began to snake her hand to the popcorn bag where she was hoping to grab some popcorn—that was until her hand had been stopped midway into the popcorn bag by a grip on her wrist. Arturia sighed in defeat and turned her head towards the man that was holding her.

Gilgamesh smirked at her and gave her a wink before moving his bag to the side closest to Gawain.

Arturia huffed and almost groaned in annoyance before realizing she was in a cinema. She crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes, last time Diarmuid shared the popcorn with her, he was much more of a gentleman than Gilgamesh. Wait, wait, wait, what? No, what was she doing? She stopped herself from thinking of the dark haired man and shook her head rapidly. She really didn't need this.

"So how'd you like the movie?" Gilgamesh smirked down at her after he had finished teasing her about the popcorn.

Arturia had lost interest and was actually quite annoyed with the tall male next to her. She simply rolled her eyes in response and dragged Jeanne to the washroom with her.

"Gil is such a pain," Arturia leaned on the counter in front of the large mirror.

"Right and you aren't?" Jeanne laughed as she looked at herself in the mirror, "because it's very annoying when you pretend not to care. Like what did Diarmuid want today?"

"Can we not?" Arturia huffed, "Point is, Gil doesn't like sharing and he always makes fun of me."

"Dia wouldn't do that," Jeanne smirked knowing much too well what her friend was thinking.

"Exactly." The female nodded and then thought about it, "Wait, no—"

"Dia and Artie sitting in a tree K-I-S-S—"

"What are we in, elementary?" Arturia glared at her friend and watched as she shrugged.

"So what? Admit that you don't hate him, that's all I'm asking for. Plus, if you think Gil could replace him; think again cause they're totally different guys. Diarmuid is shy and a gentleman but Gil goes about things differently. He's straightforward, if you may." Jeanne looked into her purse and pulled out a lip balm, "What'd you think about the movie?"

"Merp, could have been better. I simply did not find it very fun." The female shrugged.

"But," Jeanne grinned, "the food will probably be on point."

Arturia slowly nodded in agreement and then pushed herself off the counter and began to walk with Jeanne trailing behind.

Gilgamesh stood next to Gawain and they were crowded by a group of girls that seemed to be trying to get with the young men. Arturia rolled her eyes as she watched Gilgamesh flirting with the girls and Gawain also involved. Gawain was a ladies' man and usually, Arturia did not care but since Gilgamesh was also there it pissed her off slightly.

The green-eyes female sighed and looked at the boys before walking over to them, "Gawain, collect your act." She grumbled and took her cousin by the wrist to drag him out of the group of girls.

"I thought that you'd never come out," she heard Gilgamesh retort.

Arturia rolled her meadow green gaze and simply dragged the other boy out of the cinema.

"Artie?" Jeanne knew that the other was quite cheesed but acted as if it was nothing. On the other hand, Gawain remained silent because he knew how his cousin got when she was angry, and that was never a good thing.

"Aren't we going for food, or what happened to the plan?" Arturia frowned and Gawain nodded quickly.

"We were waiting for you but some girls were asking us some questions, so we had to answer them." Gawain tried to twist it to make it sound as if they were helping them out.

The green-eyed female huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, "Alright, well, I'm hungry and I would prefer it if we go get something to eat."

"And what about Gilgamesh?" Jeanne chirped as she had noticed that he had not followed them outside.

"He can do whatever he wants. Come on then, let's go eat! What were we going to eat again?"

Gawain shrugged and both the teenagers turned to Jeanne, hoping she would have an answer to their question.

Jeanne sighed and slid her hand into her pocket to take out her car keys, "Burritos." She answered and then led them to her car.

Arturia opened the passenger door and already had a foot inside the car when she felt a grip on her wrist. Her head whipped towards the person and she frowned upon seeing Gilgamesh, "Let go." She grit between teeth.

Gilgamesh smirked, "Sorry Jeanne, Gawain, but I'll be taking her with me because we have other plans." He then forcefully dragged Arturia down the parking lot and towards his own car.

"Where are you taking me? Weren't you talking to some girls like two seconds ago?"

"We're continuing our date, and you're the only girl that matters—those were just needing my help and I declined." Gilgamesh grinned and opened the door for her.

Arturia did not make a move to enter the fancy car, she simply stood still and in silence.

"I'll be feeding you, whatever you wish for."

"I'm pretty sure this is called bribing." The female pursed her lips into a straight line.

"So you accept, let's go then." Gilgamesh rounded the car and they both got it. Free food was always Arturia's weakness.

She buckled up and sat back on the seat, "I want sushi, caviar, ice cream, and a burger." She smirked, "No wait! I want a full course meal with the juiciest steak you can ever think of!" If he was offering food, she was going to take advantage of his 'generosity'.

"Do you honestly eat that much?" Gilgamesh turned his head and eyed her body over.

Arturia cleared her throat as she felt uncomfortable with his gaze skimming her over, "Eyes are up here, Gilgamesh." She pointed at her face, " And yes, I do, is that a problem?"

* * *

They sat at a table for two and Arturia had felt queasy because Gilgamesh had decided to take her to the exact same place that Diarmuid and she had gone for their unofficial date. In fact, she was embarrassed to have sat near the place where they had sat before. She gulped in anxiety and shook her head as she thought that she shouldn't be feeling guilty since Diarmuid and she had broken up more than a month ago.

Arturia wanted to order the most expensive dish she could find, but she did not want to be so rude, so she settled for the second most expensive—which gave her a big steak that she was very much looking forward to. She patiently sat waiting for the dish and was super ecstatic to eat a free steak.

Gilgamesh sat opposite of her and they both waited for the waitress as the male was hoping to start a conversation with the teenage girl in front of him. He had not thought of anything good to say and the waitress had arrived to end the awkward silence.

"Hello! My name is Irisviel, but you can call me Iris and I will be your waitress for tonight, have you already decided on what you will be having?" It was the same exact waitress that had attended her that other time and man was this embarrassing.

Instead of the waitress' red eyes widening in surprise, they seemed to smile down at her—almost mockingly.

"I will have the Caesar salad for the starter, the steak option number five and an iced tea." Arturia forced a smile at the waitress as she truly wanted to call her out on the small gestures of sass she held.

Gilgamesh ordered his own food and the waitress disappeared with the orders, "Well, how do you like this place?" The blonde male smirked.

Arturia rolled her eyes and shrugged as she leaned back on her seat, "It's alright." She mumbled and looked about, she wasn't sure what to speak about and so she got distracted once she saw their waitress with food in her hands. _Yes, here comes our food_ , the young lady smiled unconsciously but her smile faded when she noted that Iris was taking the food to another table, _Aww, I'm hungry; this isn't fai—wait! What?_

Green eyes widened as she saw the dark haired man that had brought her to the steakhouse before, _I cannot believe it!_ Her mind was going crazy once she saw a burgundy-haired female sitting in front of him. This really wasn't happening to her, was it now? What were the odds that she would be going to the same steakhouse as the one she had gone with Diarmuid only to find him there and them sharing the same waitress? They're basically zero, but here they were. _It's been less than two months and he's already going out with someone else? That—_ "…Beach?"

"Hm? What?" Arturia finally was snapped out of her thoughts and she realized that Gilgamesh had been talking to her, "Pardon?"

"I asked if you liked the beach." Gilgamesh was visibly upset as he wore a frown on his lips, "Who are you paying attention to anyways?"

"No one!" Arturia panicked and took his hand so that he would not turn back to see the Chemistry teacher and probably come up with his own suspicions, "And beaches are great!"

Gilgamesh furrowed his brows and grunted, "No need to be so hostile, seesh, Arturia."

Arturia laughed a little at her stupidity and tried to push the uncomfortable feeling in her heart away. If Diarmuid moved on so quickly, then Arturia could move on too. She tried to pay attention to the blond man before her. If she put her mind to it, he was much more interesting than Diarmuid, right? He was… well, Gilgamesh was… Point was that Gilgamesh was different, _Of course he is! He isn't Diarmuid!_

It seemed as if Arturia was really not focused of Gilgamesh halfway into the dinner for two reasons; one was that the food was so great she could not make conversation and the other because she was also having an argument with herself over the man that sat a few tables away. She looked down at her plate so as to not draw attention to herself and simply continued to eat.

She lifted her face again upon hearing Gilgamesh speak and she watched as he held a frown on his lips, "Why won't you talk to me?"

She swallowed her food and sipped her iced tea, "Because I'm eating." She shrugged and then drove her fork into another slice of meat.

Gilgamesh sighed in exasperation and blew his hair from his forehead, "We are on a date here and this is the most boring date I've ever been on."

Arturia blinked and shrugged, "Because it isn't a date, Gil."

"I'll be back, I'm going to the washroom." Gilgamesh stood from his seat and left her at the table alone.

The green-eyed girl blinked and dropped her fork because she did not like to eat alone, so she waited for the blond male to return. The waitress stopped by her table with a smile on her face, "Would you like to order your dessert?"

"Hey, um, Iris, was it?" Arturia looked up at her and then continued when the female nodded, "I think I know why you were a little sassy, but, um, I don't want to pry and all. But… Okay, I'm pretty sure you noticed that the guy in that table over there was the one I came with a couple of months ago now, yeah?"

The white haired waitress nodded as she looked back at Diarmuid and the girl he was seated next to, "How could I forget, it seemed as if it was your first date… Haha."

Arturia frowned and crossed her arms over her chest, "Yeah, well, I just need to know if that's his girlfriend, the girl he's with."

Iris widened her smile, "I see that you are a bit jealous, aren't you?"

"What? No! I'm not jealous! I just want to know, it's fine if you don't tell me, I don't care." Arturia tried to suppress the blush that crept unto her face. It was getting her a little aggravated that this was the second person that had suggested that she was jealous due to Diarmuid.

"Well, I also do not want to be rude, but I feel that you need to focus on your current boyfriend more."

Her green eyes widened and she shook her head, "Gil's not my boyfriend."

"Well either way, that handsome man looks much older than you. You are in high school after all," red eyes skimmed her uniform, "I can get you ice cream or a parfait, what would you prefer?"

"Both." Arturia huffed and turned her attention back to the dark haired male, did he really move on that quickly?

"Isn't that the new teacher?" Arturia's head whipped towards the voice of Gilgamesh as he too looked over at the Irishman, "What's his name? Uh, it's stupid that's all I know."

"Oh, uh, yeah. His name is Diarmuid." She unconsciously blurted his first name and she did not even catch herself until Gil had pointed it out.

"I meant his last name. Didn't know you were so familiar with him…" Gilgamesh looked over at her and slowly sat down at the table again.

Her eyes followed him and she had hesitated in shaking her head a little, "No, it's not like that. The girl's in the class obsess over him and they keep referring to him by his name so I caught onto it."

The man slowly nodded as if he believed her and the finished his meal, "Are our desserts on their way?" He asked.

"Yup! As well as the bill."

It was as if on cue that the waitress returned with the bill and the desserts in hands. She set the plates down and Gilgamesh fished money from his wallet. They ate in silence and then both stood from the table. It was already a little bit late in the evening but Gilgamesh had said that he wanted to go to one last place.

Arturia simply agreed because she thought that it could take her mind off of Diarmuid. They walked towards the exit of the steakhouse and Arturia was picking up her speed so that they would fly by and the teacher would not see them but Gilgamesh just had to be a jerk.

"Teach! Hey." The blond male stood by the table of the older man and had Arturia's wrist in his hand because he had dragged her along with him.

Rust orange eyes flickered from his meal to the young man, "Hello?" He hadn't seen him in his classes, but his face was familiar…that was until he noticed the short lady behind him and the he realized it was Arturia's boyfriend.

"Are you enjoying your dinner out with your girlfriend?" Gilgamesh winked down at both of them.

Arturia was finally able to see the woman, and man was she beautiful. There was absolutely no way that she could go up against her in beauty. Long burgundy hair to her mid thighs flowed nicely when she stood to offer a slender hand. Her body was even nice as well and she had good curves to her body, not to mention that Arturia lacked quite a lot in the chest compartment but the lady before her was well developed. Arturia took the woman's hand and shook it as she looked at beautiful red eyes that looked like recently polished rubies.

"My name is Scáthach, nice to meet you." She chuckled—man even her voice was beautiful! What were ugly green meadows and hair that of dry and stale hay going to compare to that beauty. "I am Diarmuid's older sister actually," the mature female spoke and Arturia tilted her head.

"Sister? Ooh! You're his sister!" Arturia tightened her grip on the woman's hand as a wave of relief washed over her, "My name is—"

"That's Pendragon. She's in my last period class and this is her boyfriend." Diarmuid was quick to cut her off from introducing herself.

"I'm Gilgamesh." The young man smiled and extended his hand to shake hers.

Arturia grit her teeth and glared at Diarmuid, "For the last time, Gilgamesh and I are not dating. He is not my boyfriend."

Scáthach grinned and nodded, "Of course,"

After that, they bid each other a farewell and then Gilgamesh had taken her to the park. It was just the nice park at the center of the town. There was a fountain in the middle and a few benches around it. It was already dark even though it was only nine in the evening but now that winter was starting to slither into fall, it was only natural. The hour hadn't changed yet, and that caused it to get dark by six in the afternoon on a cold late October evening.

"So, why'd we come out here?" Arturia was feeling much more relieved and giddy so now she was starting to be a little more talkative.

"You like him, don't you?" Gilgamesh turned to her as the leaves fell from the trees due to a strong cool breeze.

Arturia chuckled and furrowed her brows, "Like who?"

"That teacher, right? The Diarmuid one."

Arturia's smiled faded a little too fast and she refrained from looking too surprised, "A teacher? As if." She scoffed.

"I saw you that time at the theater with him. During the summer, am I right? I went with a friend and I saw you with a guy, so I decided to see who my girlfriend was going out with. It was him, wasn't it? Sure looked like it; tall, dark-haired, _Irish_. You know that's illegal, and I tend to not keep secrets when it involves other handsome men and _my_ girl."


	8. There's no Escape

"I saw you that time at the theater with him. During the summer, am I right? I went with a friend and I saw you with a guy, so I decided to see who my girlfriend was going out with. It was him, wasn't it? Sure looked like it; tall, dark-haired, _Irish_ … You know that's illegal, and I tend to not keep secrets when it involves other handsome men and _my_ girl." Gilgamesh had a wide and smug smirk on his face, Arturia had to fight the urge of punching him square on his perfect jaw.

Arturia rolled her eyes, "Yeah, okay sure, whatever." Maybe sarcasm could buy her out of all this mess because she was sure he wouldn't believe her otherwise.

Gilgamesh crossed his arms over his chest and settled back on the bench, "What is your excuse? Are you not going to defend yourself?"

"Defend myself? Over a false accusation?" She scoffed, "Look, Gil, I knew you were stupid…but I just didn't know you were _that_ stupid."

"Excuse me?" He furrowed his brows, "I know what I saw, Arturia, you can't fool me."

"Well, you obviously need glasses." She sassed back.

"Then who were you with? I know for sure it was you."

Okay, so he probably would catch this lie, "It was me, I went to the theaters with a guy during the summer. Truth be told, he was okay, not so handsome. I think your mind was playing tricks on you Gilgamesh. He was tall alright, dark hair, not Irish. He was Scottish. Derek. We worked at camp together and he invited me to the movies. Since I'm not a jerk, I accepted to test the waters but I didn't like him because turns out he was just like you—a big," she turned to the male, "jerk."

Gilgamesh glared at her and his red eyes seemed more like they would burn her, "You can't fool me!"

"Well, let me call him up then." She pulled out her phone and began to scroll down her contacts to find the actual Derek that worked with her during the summer. She pressed on the contact and let her thumb hover over the 'call' button for a millisecond before he stopped her.

"Okay, I believe you. I really hope it was this Derek guy." Upon hearing his words, she was flooded with relief but she refrained from letting her breath go altogether in an audible sigh.

Arturia bit her lower lip to stop herself from smirking before she stood from the park bench, "Well, are we not going home now?"

Gilgamesh looked at her and then nodded as he stood, he still wasn't letting her off the hook, but he would totally start his investigation as soon as possible—which literally meant the following day. He drove her home and dropped her off right in front of her door. She seemed a bit worried, but he did not point it out, for it was probably because he knew of the relationship she shared with the Chemistry teacher.

Arturia quietly entered her house and slipped past the kitchen where she heard her father rummaging through the cabinets and right as she stepped on the first stair step, she heard her father close the Cabinet and take a step closer to her, "How was your day?" He sounded quite disappointed, "That boy treat you right?"

She cursed under her breath as she noted her father had seen Gilgamesh and it wasn't helping that they arrived past her curfew of nine in the evening. In fact, she wasn't supposed to out that week because she had been grounded for a bad math mark, "Sorry father…" she mumbled lowly.

"Jeanne told me that the guy took you away… What's that all about?" Her father was a little more over protective of her and her half-sister after the death of her mother.

Arturia bit her lower lip and tilted her head, "His name is Gilgamesh and he took me out to the movies then took me out for dinner and finally the park. It was an okay date if it weren't for the fact that it was Gilgamesh."

Her father let out a chuckle, "He sounds like a good guy, so why don't you like him?"

Arturia sighed and nodded, "Well, I cannot really explain Gilgamesh, he's… he is who he is. A little stuck up, annoying, possessive. He's just not someone I would like."

Uther laughed a little more and crossed his arms over his chest, "Okay, now that you went on a date. I think it is best that you go to sleep and get grounded for another week."

"But—"

"And give me your phone." He shook his head, "Come on, pass it over, being grounded is being grounded."

Arturia took a deep sigh and dug her phone from her back pocket and handed it to her father, "Alright."

"Good. And you have to come straight home after school, do you understand? Another outing and you will earn yourself another week of grounding. Oh, no teli or computer unless necessary for school."

"Yes, father." And this is what usually happened when she was in trouble. Her father restricted her from everything and if she ever brought a boy over, well…let's just say things would start to get complicated and he father would probably get his revolver in order to meet the boy. Her father was a good man, he was pretty chill and fun, but he could get real angry sometimes and he was still getting over his alcohol abuse.

Arturia sighed and rolled her shoulders as she slowly ascended the stairs and plopped down on her bed. She slipped out of her uniform and into her pyjamas, she was not going to be able to do anything for the remainder of the week and the next.

The following day, Arturia leaned against the locker next to Jeanne's as the other female searched the locker for a text book, "So how was the date with Gil?"

"Not a date," Arturia corrected and crossed her arms over her chest, "It was okay, he bought my food—free of charge. I mean, one could argue as he did bribe me. But, he is onto me." Arturia sighed.

"What do you mean onto you? What are you hiding?" Jeanne had completely forgotten about the fact that Arturia and Diarmuid had gone out for a while and now she was worried that her best friend was hiding something from her.

The green eyed female rolled her eyes, "About your tutor and I?" She couldn't exactly say Diarmuid's name and since Jeanne had a new tutor that was only a year older then people wouldn't suspect too much.

"What about Emiya? You and he are—"

Arturia shut Jeanne up by placing her hand over the other's mouth, "Jeanne," she hissed and the pointed at her right cheek as to indicate that she was talking about the one with the beauty mark.

"Ooooh…" Jeanne nodded once the other female had retracted her hand, "Oh!" Then her violet eyes doubled in size and she shook her hand, "No way!"

"He has his suspicions, and I know you share History with him so make sure not to slip up." Arturia warned as they began to walk to Jeanne's first class.

"My lips are sealed." The taller of the two made a motion as to zip her lips and then 'threw away the key'. They changed the subject and talked about Arturia's grounding instead. It wasn't long before the bell rang and Jeanne headed into the classroom while Arturia hurried to her first class of the day. Jeanne sat down in her usual seat by the teacher's desk and prepared for her history lesson.

It wasn't long before she was interrupted as someone sat next to her—no one sat next to her because of the fact that it was the desk next to the teacher's and no one ever wanted to sit there. Yet, a blond male sat next to her either way. Jeanne lifted her head from her backpack and blinked at the male.

"Jeanne, it's so nice to see you again." Gilgamesh had a bright smile on his lips, "How are you?"

"Oh, hello, Gilgamesh…" So there was no way to avoid him. If he didn't sit next to her in the theater, then he had to sit next to her in class. Seemed like she could never escape the King of Rudeness—he was basically hunting her down.

The boy settle nicely on the seat and took out his books. Upon the teacher's arrival, they had noticed that their original History teacher was not there—instead, they had two supplies, one for the first forty minutes of class and another one for the remaining forty minutes. Just her luck, the first teacher to take over the class was none other than Diarmuid.

Upon his arrival, all the girls quickly began to fawn over him as soon as he began to write something down on the board, "Hey guys, your teacher is sick today, so I'll be here until nine and then the other teacher will be here by then. My name is Mister Ua Duibhne, yeah it's hard, so Ua can do. The other teacher will be taking attendance due to that 'late' rule thing you guys have. You teacher just said to take notes on the textbook pages 117-130. If you have any questions, just ask me because History is one of my favourite subjects."

The man smiled at the class one last time and proceeded to sit at the teacher's desk, right in front of Jeanne and Gilgamesh. So this day wasn't the best for Jeanne. She tried to keep silent between the two men but Gilgamesh kept asking her questions from the textbook to get her attention.

"Gilgamesh, the textbook answers the questions, please let me focus on my work." She mumbled.

Diarmuid caught on to the fact that Jeanne was getting annoyed after answering probably twenty questions now, "Gilgamesh, I can help you out if you want."

Gilgamesh looked up at the man and grinned, he leaned forward and then decided to ask a question, "What do you think of Arturia Pendragon?"

Jeanne's head lifted in milliseconds from her textbook to the teacher to see his reaction.

The man furrowed his brows and damn was he good at hiding the surprise, "Arturia Pendragon? That short blond girl in my last period? The trouble maker?" He raised a dark brow.

Gilgamesh nodded, although he was disappointed not to see a reaction.

"She gets into trouble a lot and she needs work on her written assignments because she seems to miss the point of 'scientific terminology' but I think that with a little more focus on her studies she can be one of the people with the highest marks in my class. She needs to learn from Jeanne. Jeanne's my best student."

Jeanne smiled, "Really?"

"Yup, you're the best," the man smiled, "you always do your homework and you know how to write scientific papers like a pro."

"Thank you," the violet eyed female grinned, "my older sister helps me out sometimes since she's in university."

Gilgamesh frowned, if anything it seemed like Jeanne and the teacher had more chemistry than Arturia and him. He grit his teeth and shook his head, "I guess Arturia does need to work on her studies, would you be willing to help her out?"

"If she wants, but she's very hostile to me, I don't think she would seek my help when she has a smart girl right next to her." Diarmuid shrugged and sat back on the chair, "You care a lot for your girlfriend, no?"

"They're not dating," Jeanne pointed it out as she glanced at Gilgamesh, "he got her in trouble yesterday for dragging her along with him."

"She got in trouble?" Gilgamesh tilted his head, "Seriously?"

"So it wasn't a date?" Diarmuid furrowed his brow. It had been quite obvious that they were on a date, they were even holding hands and all.

Gilgamesh turned to the male and grinned, _caught him_. He could hear the tone of voice of the man before them, he had sounded a little too relieved and a little jealous.

"I can take over from here." Another teacher entered the room and Diarmuid looked up at the clock to see that it was already nine and so he gathered his things.

"Thank you," he nodded at the other teacher and stood from the desk, "Bye guys, it was nice getting to know you." He waved the class goodbye and slid out the door after hearing the sad cried of the females.


	9. Gossip and Washroom Fights

Arturia trickled into her chemistry class and noted that Jeanne was already seated. Arturia frowned at her friend and approached her, "You ditched me during lunch, where were you?"

Jeanne crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head, "Didn't you hear the announcements?" She lifted and eyebrow as she watched the shorter one circle the table and sit down.

"What?" Arturia shrugged, indicating that she had not heard the announcements in the morning.

"Student council meeting." Jeanne blinked and then turned to look at the teacher that was entering the classroom, "Guess who our History supply was?" She leaned back on the plastic chair and winked at her friend.

"Who?" Arturia kept her gaze on her friend, intently listening since it seemed to be intriguing.

"Yours truly," s deep voice rang and a paper was settled in front of her, "No gossiping you two, and see me after class so we can finally discuss this paper. I want to go over a lot of things." Diarmuid stood with his arms crossed over his chest and Arturia felt her heart flutter at the sight of the handsome man in a suit—he seemed to be a little more attractive today, but she was not sure what it was.

Arturia mentally shook her head and frowned, "Why can't we talk about this during class?" Truth be told, she did want to stay after school a bit, but she knew it wasn't a good move with Gilgamesh at her tail.

"This class is an entire lesson; there's no time for individual work. I'll make sure to kick everyone out so you don't have to wait forever." The man blinked and then turned around to face the board.

Jeanne kept silent because she had been caught trying to get the female next to her jealous, but she looked past that and leaned closer to her friend, "What? Noticed he was cute? You're all red."

Arturia shot her head towards her best buddy and widened her eyes, "What? Am I actually red?" She drew a hand to her cheeks to feel how warm they were, "He's not even _that_ cute." She regained composure after a while and Jeanne could only laugh.

The class was spent mostly in silence between the two girls because of the fact that the lesson was quite long, they exchanged comments every now and then and would even get off topic and laughed about other things. It was his voice that stopped them from making another cheesy joke as he ended the lesson.

Everyone began to pack their stuff and Arturia had forgotten that she was supposed to stay after class, so she simply shoved her books in her bag as her and Jeanne were chatting.

"Where do you think you're going? You shouldn't always skip our meetings for that blond kid." Diarmuid leaned against the desk in front of the two girls.

Arturia sighed and looked up at the man, "I do hope you are referring to Gawain."

"Sit down," he smirked, "take out your paper and we'll go over it."

The short blond sighed and set her bag down on the desk again, "Fine, but let's not waste too much time, I have to be home early today."

"Bye-bye, bae," Jeanne waved at her friend and then turned to the teacher and bowed her head. "Thank you for the lesson, sir, have a great day." She had the tendency to always go about this usual routine every day and it made Diarmuid's day because at least someone appreciated his lessons. The girl with the braid to her upper thighs waved goodbye again and exited the room without further ado.

Diarmuid then let Arturia settle as he drove out all the other girls from the room and closed the door behind him, not needing to cover the window for Grainne had done so the day before. He slowly strolled back to the desk he was previously had been leaning against and then pulled out a chair and faced it toward Arturia before sitting down, "Okei-dokei then," he pulled the assignment she had set on the table toward himself.

"So why'd you give me such a bad mark? Like a fifty is horrible, why?" She was actually quite upset over the mark but she wasn't going to complain during the lesson—in fact, she had been waiting so that she could vent to Jeanne.

The male looked at her and regretted the decision to speak with her alone when he felt suddenly uneasy under her meadow green gaze. He gulped and flickered his eyes back to the paper, "First, you completely ignored the main point. You barely spoke of the dangers of these chemicals and your format was off. You also showed little knowledge on scientific compositions and terminology. I know you know what it is, but you did not explain it to the reader."

Arturia sat back on her chair and huffed, "I'm not really good at explaining things. Plus, I wrote this paper the night before because it literally slipped my mind."

Diarmuid shrugged, "Well, all the advice I can give you is to do the project as early as you can and send them to Jeanne or someone else for spell checking and structure improvement."

"Easier said than done," It was quite awkward as they avoided eye contact and it was as if they were speaking to the paper instead of each other.

The male let out a laugh, "You are quite right, I did the same in uni."

They both laughed a little more and their eyes finally locked gazes and they fell silent. They just stared at each other for a while and Arturia felt the urge to reach for his hands. A bright idea snaked into her mind and she smirked, reaching out and landing her hand on top of his slowly.

"A-Art-Pendragon…" Diarmuid was about to retract his hand but she held it.

"Diarmuid…" Was this really what she was thinking? Was she actually going to suggest this crazy idea? "I like you." So she admitted it, finally, but it wasn't going to leave this room or leave the mouths of the two individuals in the room.

Diarmuid turned his hand and held hers for a second before letting it go, "Okay, well, you can get going now. You said you needed to leave early so hurry along." It wasn't that he wanted to ignore her, it was because he did not want to start anything or let himself go.

Arturia grit her teeth and crossed her arms over her chest, "Diarmuid, come on."

"I'll lead you to the door," he stood from the seat and looked down at her. He bit his lower lip and ran a hand through his hair.

Arturia packed her assignment and hung her bag over her shoulder and rolled her eyes. She looked over at Diarmuid and then sighed, "You're going to ignore me?" She furrowed her brows.

The male let his lips purse together in a short frown before he spoke, "I'm very sorry Arturia, I wasn't able to hear what you said earlier." She got the hint, it was obvious that he wanted to look past her confession and so she did not push it.

They stood by the door in silence and then he opened the door for her. Arturia nodded in thanks and she exited the room, "Yeah, I like you too." Her head whipped back towards the door after it had closed behind her and then she tried to open the door but it was locked.

"Diarmuid, open this door, now." She could not believe that she had heard him actually confess to her but so silently that she could have possibly not heard him.

"Go home, Pendragon." Diarmuid buried his face into his hands and forced himself not to open the door.

She frowned and held her bag strap tighter, "Okay… I'm sorry. Just don't expect another chance." She turned on her heel and walked down the hallway a little depressed for she had wanted to fix her relationship with Diarmuid up a little more.

The next day wasn't any different than any other day. Jeanne had had another Student Council meeting so Arturia sat with Gawain, Lancelot and Guinevere during lunch. The cafeteria had handed out pizza and since it was free, Arturia was quick to jump at the offer.

"I see you've been with that Gilgamesh guy quite a bit," Guinevere winked, "Something going on that you haven't told me about yet?"

Arturia rolled her eyes and shook her head before swallowing the food, "Um, no. I swear, everyone always says we're dating but like you've only probably seen us together twice. Chill."

"Well, he's going around telling everyone that you belong to him or something." The brunette shrugged, "You should talk to him about it." Guinevere swirled the drink in her hand before reaching for the straw with her mouth.

"Is he actually doing this? Ugh, what the heck?" All the poor English girl wanted to do was eat, but Gilgamesh just had to be an asshole, didn't he?

"It's pissing me off." Lancelot frowned, he was visibly upset, but don't get him wrong—Arturia was like a sister to him, "If you call the order, we can deal with him for you."

Arturia smiled, "Thanks, but it's okay, I can deal with him." Then she caught the eyes of the people around her and noticed that quite a chuck of students were looking her way. She did not even realize that they had been looking at her for a while now.

"Why's everyone looking at me?" She whispered over at Gawain.

Gawain shrugged and looked about, "Probably has to do with Gilgamesh."

A pair of students walked by and she was able to catch what they had been gossiping about with the help of her ears and her ability to lip read.

"That's her, right?" One of the males whispered to the other.

"Yeah, Gil could do much better, she eats like a cow and has the stature of a chipmunk." The other replied and upon hearing the words, Arturia smacked the table and stood.

"I may be short and eat a lot, but at least my metabolism doesn't suck like yours. Now get lost." She glared at the group and the immediately sped past her. She looked down at her friends and sighed, "I'm going to find Gilgamesh."

She hurried out of the cafeteria and went through the halls asking around for Gilgamesh. After hearing that he was in the washroom from a kid who had just exited, she took a deep breath and pushed the male washroom door open, "Gilgamesh, you son of a—"

"Holy! Get out!" A kid yelled after he had jumped in surprise, "You're not a guy!"

"Anyone who is not Gilgamesh, get the hell out right now before I beat you up as well." All the men that had been hiding away from Arturia zipped up their pants, washed their hands and left the room.

Gilgamesh took his sweet time in doing the same, save for the leaving part. He thoroughly washed his hands and looked at Arturia through the mirror, "I see you're eager." He grinned and walked to the dryer, "What is it, babe?"

Arturia clenched her fists and glared at Gilgamesh once he turned around to look at her, "Why are you spreading rumors?"

"Whatever do you mean?" The male leaned back on the sink.

"You're going around telling everyone that we're dating, what is wrong with you?" She grit her teeth and furrowed her brows in anger.

The blonde mail gave a confused look and took a step towards her, "Oh, we're not?" He tilted his head, "I thought I made it clear the other day that we were together. You know, I found out some interesting things, about that teacher and you." He kept walking towards her.

She took a step back but her back hit the stalls behind herself, "There's nothing."

"You sure about that? I saw him get a little jealous that I was getting close to you." He took a step closer and now Arturia had regretted coming alone.

"Another step and I will kick you where it hurts." She warned, readying her right foot.

Gilgamesh bit his lower lip and shook his head, "Try. You know, I have the power to get that teacher fired, for you to get expelled and probably even get him in jail. Imagine that, that pretty boy behind bars won't even last a week. I really don't think it's a smart idea."

"There's nothing between the chemistry teacher and I. I don't have anything to fear." She glared at him as he did take another step and was only a few centimeters from her. Arturia brought her hands to her chest as a defensive pose.

"I beg to differ." The male took her writs in his left hand and pulled them over her head as the other caged her between the wall and the man.

"Are you blackmailing me?"

"Hm, you tell me."

Arturia shut her eyes tightly as she was ready to lift her knee and hurt him until her hands were freed and she noted the male that had her cornered had stepped away. "What do you think you're doing, young man?" She looked up to see a tall man with raven black hair in front of her.

"Hey! She was the one that voluntarily came into the guys' washroom." Gilgamesh argued, glaring up at the male.

Arturia noted that the dark-haired male had his jaw clenched and his hands balled into fists. He seemed to be red with anger before he took Arturia by the wrist and dragged her out of the washroom along with him. "Report to the principal's office, Gilgamesh." The male hissed before he continued his way down to the infirmary with Arturia's tightly in his hand. When they had left the washroom, there had been a crowd of students gathered around it—Guinevere, Lancelot and Gawain among them.


	10. Wildfire

Lancelot squeezed past the crowd and managed to enter the washroom, where Gilgamesh had remained for some reason. He pushed the blue door opened and entered with rage written all over his face. He saw that Gilgamesh just stood there, as if he had been stuck in time and then the red eyes of the man flickered to Lancelot.

"What?" He barked, "What do you want, mad dog?" Gilgamesh seemed to give this stupid nickname to the tall and violet-haired man. Lancelot guessed it was because he went berserk at times when he was extremely mad—and this was most definitely one.

Lancelot clenched his jaw and grit his teeth as he took a step closer to the shorter blond male, "I am about to cave your face in."

Gilgamesh scoffed and rolled his eyes, "Sure, have fun with that." This kid was too cocky for his own good, and one day, it was going to be the death of him (figuratively speaking, that is).

A fist was lifted in the air much too quickly for Gilgamesh to react and it landed right on his pretty ruby eye, "Maybe you'll look better with a little purple."

"What the hell?" Gilgamesh groaned as he stumbled back and wanted so badly to cover his eye but the skin was sensitive, and he would just cause himself pain, "What the literal—"

"I told you not to mess with Arturia last time, didn't I?"

"You bloody snake. Son of a bitch," Gilgamesh tried not to remain in his hurting state and he started to lift his fist to hit the taller male.

Lancelot dodged and smirked, "You already said I was a mad dog." He lifted his hands again to start a fight, but Gawain stepped in and pulled Lancelot out of the washroom, leaving Gilgamesh yelling to himself, "I had him." Lancelot hissed at the blonde male that was pulling him down the hallway with all the strength he had.

"You got a good punch, now let him go." Gawain glared up at him, "You shouldn't have done that, _goodness_." He was starting to feel as if he was the babysitter of the group, always watching out for what his friends did—considering he was the joker of them all.

"Where are we off to?" Guinevere had seemed to be following them since they had left the washroom, "Did you beat the snobby kid up?"

"Let's just say he is going to have a black eye for a week or more." Lancelot smirked in triumph.

"Damn right he is," Gawain laughed, "Had to save him from getting hurt even more by the 'mad dog'."

Guinevere laughed and wrapped her arms around the boys' before dragging them down to the cafeteria again.

* * *

_**:~~~~~~~Meanwhile~~~~~~~:** _

* * *

"Sir, you're hurting me," Arturia bit the inside of her cheek as the grip on her wrist was as tight as Gilgamesh's had been.

Her hand was dropped like a hot potato upon the male having heard the words and then he opened the door to the infirmary for her, "Sorry," He did not even glance at her as she passed by him and entered the room.

"It's okay," She mumbled as he let go of the door so it could close behind him. She looked down at her wrists and noted that they were red and she could almost make out a hand imprint on her pale skin, hopefully they would not bruise over.

"Sit." He instructed and she did as asked.

Arturia sat down on the bed and looked up at him as he went to a cabinet to take out something and then made his way to the fridge. When he turned around, her had a sort of cream and some ice.

"What were you thinking?" He seemed visibly angry. His brows were furrowed, his jaw still clenched and a look in his eyes that frightened her a little.

"I wasn't going to just sit and watch him spread rumors about me…" Arturia crossed her arms over her chest and huffed as she looked away.

Diarmuid set the stuff down on a table next to him and ran a hand through his hair, "That still doesn't excuse the fact that you entered the _male_ washroom! If it weren't for the gossipers I wouldn't have known. What were you thinking? Do you have any idea what could have happened to you?"

"I had it under control," she glared at the man before her.

"It sure did not seem like it when I got there. He had you pinned to the damn stall and you call that 'under control'?"

"If you had waited a second before you entered, he would be on the floor crying." She defended.

"That's not the point. The point is that you shouldn't be in there." He looked away, eyes still in slits.

Arturia blinked, "Why do you even care so much?"

The dark-haired male turned to her and furrowed his brows, "Because I am your teacher and I have to make sure my students behave."

"And nothing else?"

He looked at her wrists, there was hesitation before his answer came, "No," he picked up the cream and ice and then handed them to her, "Put the cream on and after that, head to the principal's office."

"But why am I the one getting in trouble?" She opened the cream and put it on her wrists.

Diarmuid sighed, "It is protocol." He answered her plainly, blinking orange eyes and pursing pale lips into a disappointed line.

Arturia rolled her eyes as she finished applying the cream and then stood from the bed, she took the ice from the bed and then a step closer to the man. He wasn't too far from her to begin with, since the table was rather close to the bed. They were a fair distance apart, not an arm's length away but not any closer than a standard ruler either, "Is not dating students also protocol?"

The Irishman took a step back and gulped, "Not to mention a breach of morality and ethics as well." A blush was starting to spread across his cheeks, setting ablaze with a sweet pink shade the colour that of dusty light pink chalk. He had to keep reminding himself that she was, in fact, his student every time that she looked at him with daring eyes, "You know, there's a camera in this room." He warned.

"So what?" She smiled a little deviously up at him.

A loud beeping resonated in the room and then a message came, " _Arturia Pendragon, report to the Principal's office, Arturia Pendragon_." The intercom was loud enough to make Diarmuid jump back and Arturia tilt her head towards it.

"People have the worst timing, right?" She glanced back at the handsome man.

He did not respond and so she made her way out of the infirmary without another word. Some people—mostly seniors—watched her take her walk of shame to the main office. But instead of looking like a dog with its tail between its legs, she looked like a King walking to their throne. Her head was held high and she was practically strutting down the hallway.

Some people were complementing her while others were sending short insults. The guys were the ones praising her, while the girls were murmuring rude comments under their breaths. Her favourite complement seemed to be ' _What a badass_ ' and her favourite insult was 'I can't believe she punched Gilgamesh'. She did not even know where these types of rumors came from for she had never been able to land a punch on him in the washroom, but it brought her some sort of fake infamy and it was always good to be known as someone who could kick ass.

Except…when she arrived at the Principal's office, after knocking and opening the wooden door, Gilgamesh was already there and sure enough, he held ice to his face and glared at her with his remaining eye.

 _Whoever punched him deserves a high-five_ , she thought before she was instructed to sit down next to Gilgamesh.

"Do you mind explaining yourself, Miss Pendragon?" The principal that was clad in gold crossed her legs.

Arturia turned to Gilgamesh and blinked, "Well…"

"You are aware that we do not tolerate violence or bullying in this school, yes? Gilgamesh told me that you entered the washroom and punched him out of the blue. You have broken two rules, young lady. First, you should not bully other children and you should also not enter the male washroom as you are a female—no matter how brute you are."

The high schooler's jaw dropped as she heard the clear sass and insult that the principal had thrown at her, "Excuse me? Either way, he started it! You are saying that our school does not tolerate bullying yet he was the one that started spreading rumors about me! I see no justice. Verbal bullying hurts my mental wellbeing, and you are saying that only because the scars don't show it's not important? With all due respect, Miss Holly Grail, I have the right to sue the school if you do not reprimand his actions as well."

The principal kept silent.

"Miss, I did no such thing," Gilgamesh defended, "As I have already stated—and I have the proof for it—she entered the male washroom and punched me square in the face. I ask for her suspension as minimum punishment."

"No. If you suspend me, you suspend him too. Verbal abuse and bullying is just as bad as physical. I admit that it was my mistake to have punched him, but it is better to have one enemy than the entire school sending you glares and saying such sickening things about you." Arturia crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Gilgamesh.

The principal sighed and shook her head, "No one will get suspended, but you will have detention for the rest of the week and I will have to make a call to your parents. You are excused,"

 _Dammit,_ Arturia shut her eyes and slowly stood from the chair. The principal wrote down some slips for them and they each took one before exiting the office. Once out of the main directory, Arturia turned to Gilgamesh and glared at him, "So who actually punched you? Did you do it yourself?"

The blonde male laughed sarcastically, "For sure. Why don't you ask around, maybe someone could tip you off. Unless, you like all the attention."

Arturia sent one last glare before heading towards the closest staircase. She angrily stomped up the stairs and headed for her locker before heading off to class. The bell had rung while she was inside the principal's office, which means that she would have to silently enter her English class so that only the teacher would know of her presence.

Of course this was impossible after the _entire_ school had heard her name being called through the intercom. There was no room that could have been saved from the announcement, so when she opened the door all eyes were attentively on her as she quietly walked in. She sat at her seat and the classroom was still looking her way.

What was worse than being stared at by the entire class was being scolded by your best-est friend, and that was awaited Arturia when she dragged herself to her last period class. The poor green-eyed blonde walked in on her friend sitting at their usual table with her arms crossed over her chest and a stern look on her sweet face that did not fit her at all.

"Hey," Arturia waved as she sat next to the other female.

"Don't just 'hey' me. I heard you entered the male's washroom, punched Gil and then kneed him before being dragged out of the washroom—against your will—kicking and screaming by our Chem teacher."

"Is that what they're saying?" Arturia almost laughed at the kicking and screaming part, "What am I, delusional?"

"Well, I do hope those are all just rumors. But one of them has to be true. Oh and apparently that's how you broke up with him."

"I entered the washroom, yes. I did not punch Gilgamesh, but I took the credit. I almost kneed him for having pinned me to the stall. And, yes, sir did drag me out, albeit not kicking and scream like someone being sent to a psych ward." Arturia counted on her fingers, "Finally, but certainly not least, we were never dating to begin with."

Jeanne dropped her head and held it with her hands, "I was only gone for lunch and this is what happens? What am I going to do with you?"

Before they could continue talking, they were interrupted by the bell and the tall teacher starting his lesson. Throughout the entire class time, he would shoot short glares at Arturia, making her a little bit irritated by the end of the class.


	11. Pink Cheeks and Jealousy

She already knew what awaited her when she arrived home… Well, more like when her father arrived home. She sat on her couch with her knees drawn in and her chin upon them while she let the record play one of her favourite bands. It was the only thing she could use to distract herself from being so very bored at home. She had finished all her homework and had even been talking to Jeanne on the phone for over an hour.

The sun had already begun to set as Arturia prepared for her father to ground her for the third time this semester. She knew he was going to be upset with her and so she had already disconnected the television, the computer and left her phone on the table after turning it off.

The front door groaned as it was opened and she heard her father remove his shoes before entering any further into the house. She peaked out from the living room and watched as he walked past her and into the kitchen.

"Welcome home, I made dinner…" She stood from the couch and made her way to the kitchen.

Her father turned on the stove and was rummaging through the refrigerator as he looked up at her—since he was crouching—he gave a frown, "Hello, how was school?"

Arturia's eyes widened as she silently thanked the principal for not having called her father, "It was alright."

"Why wasn't it good?" He stood and put something to cook—most likely bacon.

The young girl shrugged, "I'm not on good terms with everyone."

"I mean, there is always going to be someone out there that hates you; no matter if you have done anything to them. Not everyone will like you, and that is something that you have to learn—the hard way." Her father was right, there was people who would hate her for virtually no reason out in the world, and that was a fact.

She gave a nod, "I punched a boy today." Yeah it was a lie and it wasn't her to do it, but if she was going to take credit in front of the principal, then she would continue her lie. She had learned from Gawain afterschool that the person to land a punch on the pretty boy was Lancelot. Arturia had demanded to see the male but since they had football practice; she could not give him a high-five.

"I heard from the principal." Her father ran a hand through his partially-grey hair and leaned against the kitchen counter, "Arturia, I think that I've been a good father and taught you some values. It was quite shocking to hear that you entered the male washroom and punched a kid in the face. Now, I don't know what that's all about but I feel it has to do with that blonde kid that brought you home the other day. I will not ground you again, but I expect to see improvement from you. Your marks are good and all, but you need to fix your behaviour." Her father spoke, "I think you should go back to fencing and keep busy like that."

Arturia had been looking down at her feet but once her father had mentioned fencing, her head shot up rather quickly, "Father? But we agreed that I would not return." She had quit fencing after the death of her mother because she felt as if she did not want to do anything for a year, then she slowly came to dislike it because it reminded her of what happened to her mother.

"Fencing gives you discipline, you are going back. Now, please go to your room."

"Father, I will not go fencing anymore. Put me in another activity but fencing." The young female argued.

Her father crossed his arms over his chest and groaned, "You are going to Fencing and that is final. I will not change my mind, Arturia. Be prepared this Friday."

"But—"

"Arturia." He shot her a stern look, brows furrowed in annoyance already.

Arturia heaved and hung her head in defeat, "Yes, father." She turned on her heel and ascended the stairs without another word.

The following day, Arturia noted that Gilgamesh had not gone to school—she guessed it was because of the detention and the fact that he had a black eye. His ego was much too big for him to show up at school with a dark circle around his red eye and show weakness.

Jeanne practically watched her the whole day so that she would not skip the detention. The Frenchwoman even went out of her way to walk the shorter female to the class that detention was being held at, at the end of the day. The class was 221 and far away from her locker so they had to go halfway across the school just to get to the class—plus the school's numbering did not help.

Jeanne set Arturia down and then gave her a warning look before exiting the room with a small 'bye-bye'. According to the paper, her detention was from 2:30 to 4:00 and it was only 2:26 at the moment so the detention teacher had not arrived. Some other students entered and then a teacher with short red hair walked into the classroom. She had a huge red bow on the collar of her white shirt; Miss Sophia-Ri. There was a rumor going around that she was engaged to the art teacher Mister El-Melloi, but no one was really sure of that considering she was a very flirty person.

"Well, I hope you all don't get into trouble anymore, I really hate coming here all the time. Anyways, just keep silent and write a full-page report on what you did wrong, why you did it and how you are going to change." She looked at the half-filled classroom, "Go on, and get to it." She waved her hand after the students blinked at her. She sat down at the desk and began t mark whatever she was marking.

Arturia simply took out a piece of paper and tried to finish her report as fast as she could. By the time she had arrived to it, she looked up at the clock and noticed that she had thirty more minutes to spare. She sat back on her chair and crossed her arms over her chest.

There was a knock on the door and the teacher stood from her seat and walked towards the door. Upon opening it, her attitude changed quite a bit. She smiled brightly and twirled a lock of hair around her finger. She laughed a little and continued the conversation with whoever she was speaking with.

Arturia was not paying much attention as she could not see who the female teacher was talking to, and it was none of her business. That was until she heard the other's name. The simple word 'Diarmuid' caught her attention and she leaned forward in an instant to get a better listen of what they were speaking about. She had come to notice that the Fashion teacher spoke to Diarmuid quite a bit.

"Why does a chemistry teacher need to speak with a fashion teacher?" Arturia mumbled under her breath as she leaned a little more over her desk because she still couldn't make out what the conversation was about. She still was not able to catch it even after they had bid each other a farewell and then the red head turned back to the class after closing the door behind herself.

Arturia had caught herself glaring at the teacher before her about ten minutes before her detention was over. Once she noted that her eyes were slits, she immediately looked down and tried to doodle on a paper as she wasted the last few minutes.

Once the clock had hit four o'clock everyone stood and the teacher dismissed them. Arturia looked back at the woman to check her hands and sure enough there was an engagement ring on her finger. Diarmuid was flirting with an engaged woman and he would not even look at her? Wow.

She did not even notice how she arrived in front of her chemistry class, but there she was. She was a bit angry and ticked off as she opened the door and peaked her head inside. She saw that there was no one in the room and she was about to give up when she heard a shuffle from the indent of the room that she was not able to see.

"Um, Pendragon? What are you doing here?" The man had pushed his chair from the indent to be able to catch a glimpse of the person who had entered. His eyes grew upon seeing the short blond female.

Arturia closed the door and walked closer to the man, "Hey," she waved.

"Need help with a question or something?" He raised an eyebrow as he rolled his chair back to the computer.

She shook her head in response.

"Well, um, then… why are you, uh, here?" He furrowed his brows and tilted his head a little—in a rather attractive way that made Arturia's heart flutter slightly.

The student gave a shrug, "You know, you shouldn't be flirting with women that are taken and soon to be married." She tried to hide her uneasiness as she crossed her arms over her chest.

The male let a chuckle slip as he shook his head, "Right. Oh, and _you_ shouldn't enter the boys' washroom."

"When have I ever done that?" She questioned and tilted her head as she drew a hand to her chest.

The man laughed and turned back to the computer, "So did you simply come here to tell me not to flirt?"

"I also came to ask if you were still mad at me." She leaned against the demonstration bench,

He looked over at her, "I was never mad at you," he spoke.

She furrowed her brows and pursed her lips in a straight line, "You were. Totally seemed like that when you held my hand and were yelling at me in the infirmary."

"I was not mad at you." He was now looking in her eyes, "I was simply concerned. I am very sorry for having hurt you…" He glanced over at her hand, "How is it doing?"

"Ah," Arturia rolled up her sleeve, "It's okay." There was a faint bruise but one to remain only a day or so.

Diarmuid stood from his seat and walked towards her, "May I?"

Arturia looked down at her wrist and nodded, she then offered it to him. He took a hold of her hand and she felt it go numb, as one's limb does when it falls asleep. The feeling of static taking over the places that his own big hands were in contact with. She felt his fingers flying over her wrist and it probably meant her cheeks were dusted pink.

"I'm really sorry…" he mumbled.

"It's totally fine," She shrugged.

"No, I shouldn't have been jealous. I was being ridiculous…" He slowly let her hand go, his voice a whisper for they had gotten rather close.

She slowly looked up at him and blinked, "Why were you jealous?"

His Adam's apple bobbed as he gulped and then he ran his teeth over his lower lip, "I'm sorry, Arturia. This isn't good. We, um, we've talked about this and it wasn't going to work out."

"You were jealous that I was with Gilgamesh? You know that there's nothing between us. _At all_." She smiled and then wrapped her right hand around his black tie. She brought him down to her level, earning a gasp from him and then she placed her lips on his right cheek, next to the beauty mark, "Don't worry about Gilgamesh." She smiled, trying to supress her blush, "My eyes are on you, only."

His cheeks lit up pink and the blush even reached the tips of his ears, "A-Arturia."

"I get jealous too, so, um… don't talk to those girls so casually." Her cheeks were also pink and she was biting the inside of her cheek to not feel so embarrassed, "Especially not Grainne." Her fingers slipped from his tie and then she gave him a nod before quickly exiting the room.

Once she deemed the hallway safe, she brought her hands to her cheeks and shook her head rapidly as she felt how warm they were, "What am I thinking? That was so embarrassing!" She then ran down to her locker to get home as soon as possible so she could call Jeanne and probably scream into her phone with regret.

* * *


	12. Best Friends that Help you Out

Jeanne sat down at the small table in the coffee shop and wrapped her hand around the warm coffee cup. She had actually ordered a tea but her order was mixed up and she ended up with a latte—but she did not argue because they would just throw the latte down the drain. She was thankful that they had made it sweet because she never liked bitter things, and Arturia could back her up on that. The young girl rummaged through her bag and took out a binder and a textbook before opening them and starting her homework.

Her phone interrupted her as she changed pens for the headings and she reached into her pocket. She answered the phone after verifying the caller and sighed, "He bae," She greeted the other girl on the phone.

"Jeannneee," Arturia groaned from the other line, "Help me…"

"What's wrong?" Jeanne furrowed her brows and held her phone to her ear with her shoulder as she began to write her notes again.

"We need to talk, do you have time?"

"Yup, uh huh, I do." She hummed and nodded her head rapidly.

"Where are you right now?"

"I'm in the coffee shop…"

She heard Arturia rummaging through what sounded like her locker, "By the intersection?"

"No, the one by the mall." Jeanne answered as she looked at the important parts of the paragraph.

"I need to tell you what happened, oh my God, It's crazy."

"What happened?" she mumbled, "Is it serious?"

"Well…" The other female sighed, "Not that serious."

"Are you sure? I can head over right now."

"No, we can meet up in two hours, I also need to find all my fencing materials." Jeanne heard the woman complain as she locked the locker and exited the school.

"Okay, I hope so…"

"But we have to talk! You don't even understand! I did something so embarrassing, like, super embarrassing. Well, we'll talk about it then, see you."

"See you." She hung up her phone and went back to writing her notes. Jeanne figured that she would be able to finish her chemistry notes of the day before she headed for her best friend's house.

The blonde female had not noticed when someone sat in front of her until they tapped on the table. Her head slowly lifted from her paper as she wrote down the last word of the sentence and then her violet gaze came in contact with a crimson one. Her brows furrowed and she slightly tilted her head, "Um…Hello? Do you need something?"

The male before her grinned, revealing sharp canines. The man before her somewhat resembled a wolf, or a dog—she couldn't settle on only one, "Hello, sweetheart."

Jeanne blinked and then dropped her head back down to her notes, keeping absolutely silent.

"I'm sorry for interrupting you, but I wanted to know—"

"I'm sorry but I'm not interested." She continued her work and ignored the man in front of her. She always put school as a priority, after her family and her friends—that is. She was a very studious girl, and she never got in trouble with any teachers or other students…but there were a group of people that heavily disliked her and she was unsure why, considering she never hurt anyone.

"I'll buy you something. A donut maybe?" At the words, Jeanne lifted her head again and paid attention to him. His hair truly was one of a kind, blue that of cobalt, in a rather ridiculous hair-do and handsome features. He had silver earrings and the toothy grin was still plastered on his face. There was something about him that she recognized but she could not point it out.

"Thank you," she smiled, noting that she had been quite rude to him, "I am very flattered, but I really am not interested. You're handsome and all but, as you can see, I am studying right now." Her eyes flickered down to her notes and then back to him.

"You go to Fate Academy, yes?" He eyed the crest on her breast pocket, and then his ruby red eyes wandered from it.

She gently put her pen down and smiled, "Yes, I do." She watched his eyes, "Now, are there any more questions?" She crossed her arms over her chest so that he would get the hint that he should stop looking.

His red eyes drifted back up to her own, "I do, actually." He bounced his knee under the table and then rested his head on his palm, smile still on his lips, "How good is it?" He was quite interesting, he seemed to irritate her a little but at the same time, she had a liking to him.

Jeanne blinked and looked down at her coffee, "Um, it's okay I guess. You can get one. I think it's the Caramel Latte because this wasn't what I actually ordered."

The man's smile grew a little more and he laughed, "I was referring to the school."

Jeanne felt her cheeks become warm, "Right, um, the school's really good." So that was rather embarrassing, but probably nothing compared to what had Arturia shaking.

"I guess it must be if such a lovely lass likes it. Well, my little lady, see you around." He stood from the table and winked at her, "I would really love to meet you again. Maybe I can get your name?"

She shook her head with a smile on her lip balmed lips, "I don't usually give my name to strangers." She answered as she looked up at him.

The male laughed and nodded, "I understand. My older brother would always tell me that when I was younger. I'm Cú Chulainn, hopefully we meet again." He then waved her goodbye and she watched as he exited the coffee shop.

Jeanne bit her lower lip and shrugged, she began to pack her books and decided to head home early and probably get to Arturia's place earlier than expected too. She could help the other with dinner or something.

Jeanne arrived at her best friend's house an hour later because her brother had asked if she could have helped him with dinner. She dug the spare key from her jacket's pocket and entered the house. Noting the school shoes at the front door, she peaked her head in and smiled, "Arturia? You home yet?" She called about the house and then she heard shuffling upstairs and soon a scream came.

"Come up here! I can't even move from my bed, it's too much!" The short female ran up the staircase, her heart beating fast as she thought her friend was probably hurt or something.

"Arturia? Are you alright?" She barged into the other female's room, only to find her face shoved in the fluffy white pillow and she shook her head furiously.

"Jeanne! You won't believe what happened!" Her voice was muffled as she talked into the pillow.

Jeanne walked towards her friend, past the wardrobe and sword displays. She sat down next to her friend on the bed and rubbed her back, "Oh come one, bae, it can't be that bad."

"I totally messed up. I'm so stupid. You won't believe it."

"Aww, come on, baby, it's okay."

Arturia tilted her head so that it was no longer in the pillow, but rather facing her best friend. She pouted her lips a little and furrowed her brows, "I kissed Dia. It's not okay." Her cheeks flushed pink again.

Jeanne's eyes grew wide and she fully turned her body towards the green-eyed female, "What? No you're lying! What?"

"I mean, I didn't _kiss_ kiss him, I kissed his cheek. But I said something so embarrassing afterwards. Ugh! I don't even want to show up for school tomorrow—kill me now." The Englishwoman had buried her face in the pillow again, kicking her bed and groaning, "Why?"

"You kissed him on the cheek? How did you even manage to do that?" Jeanne had calmed down a little but she was still a little surprised, "Either way, I need to know if you're serious about him. I really want to help you out, but I can only do so if you are absolutely serious about him."

Arturia groaned into her pillow again and kicked, "I don't know."

Jeanne shook her head and fell back on the bed next to her friend, "What did you even say?"

"Nothing. I just… ugh, I told him I was jealous, alright? Then I ran out like the Flash because, oh God, was that embarrassing!"

Jeanne laughed a little and turned to Arturia, "You're crazy. But, like, what did he say? How was he?"

The girl with the red face lifted her head and smiled a little, "He was blushing. You should have seen him, he looked so cute. His eyes were wide like saucers or something. You could compare him to a tomato, no joke."

The French female continued to laugh, "Oh my gosh! I wish I could have seen that. What else happened?"

"I told you that I ran out like I had wings or something. I'm telling you, all that happened was that I kissed him on the cheek. He was adorable when he was blushing, I'm telling you. But guess what he told me?"

"What? What did he say?" Jeanne sat up as the other girl did and they both sat cross-legged on the bed.

Arturia laughed a little as she rubbed her cheeks, trying to calm down her blushing, "You know how I told you that he dragged me to the infirmary," Jeanne nodded, "Yeah, he told me that he was jealous about Gilgamesh and I. He's adorable but so friggen stubborn, He just turned me down before anything even happened. Then I kissed him on the cheek, and I know he still likes me."

"So are you going after him? I could help you out."

"Do you think I should? I mean, he is our teacher." Arturia leaned against the bed's headboard.

Jeanne crossed her arms over her chest, "Well, if you really like him…"

"Would you help me out?"

"Mhm," the long-haired female nodded, "I will totally help you out. Plus, you met _before_ he was a teacher. It really wouldn't be fair to just stop the relationship."

"Okay, so we play this smart, but he still needs to agree, right? But how do I get him to agree to a 'forbidden romance' between him and I?" Arturia turned to her best friend, she had a smile on her lips as she thought about it. There seemed like nothing would ever convince him.

"I'll think of something, don't worry. I got this." Jeanne grinned, her smile encouraging the female next to her.


	13. Plans are Hard to Make

Alright, so Jeanne was very unsure of what she was going to do to help her best friend. Yeah, one thing was saying she had it all under control and another was actually coming up with a plan that could actually work. She knew little of relationships and stuff, well real relationships. She watched a bunch of Shoujo animes and rom-com K-dramas, but she had never been in a legitimate relationship. No one had asked her out, or even flirted with her as far as she could remember—except for that boy earlier during the day.

Alright, so she was lying to herself, there were a handful of people that had asked her out, she was just too oblivious of the people around her. It was Arturia that had to remind her that the boy on the desk diagonal of hers had a massive crush on her all throughout grade nine and ten, and that Gilles had been trying to ask her out since elementary. Of course, the violet eyed female denied these claims.

Moreover, her older brother was quite protective of her and being in University was not going o stop him from watching which guys she hung out with. He was alright with Gawain because they had been in in the Football club together back when Jean was club pres. But Jean never liked Gilles and don't even get him started on Gilgamesh—it was a good thing that the blond kid was interested in Arturia and not Jeanne.

The young girl entered her house and walked to the kitchen, letting her skirt fan about her. She opened up a cabinet and reached for the hazelnut spread, the thought of the tall blue haired male flickering in her mind, "Cú Chulainn…" She repeated the name of the male.

"Cú-ha what?" Her brother scared her, she had jumped in surprised and held a hand to her heart.

"Sheesh, you nearly killed me." She commented as she took a deep breath, her hand still keeping her heart in place, "Nah, just a name. Sound familiar to you?"

"Nope, who's this guy?" Her brother leaned against the fridge.

Jeanne shrugged, "Random dude," she answered and then she remembered her promise to Arturia, "Hey, you're good with girls, right?"

The blond boy gave a triumphant smirk and nodded, "Well, I don't like to be cocky about it, but yeah."

Violet eyes rolled _hard_ , they could have just rolled down the street, "Right. So, anyways, imagine you're not supposed to be with a girl but, like, she really, _really_ likes you. Like _really_. What could she possibly do to make you date her?"

Her brother narrowed his brown eyes, "Does this have to do with that Cú-ha whatever guy?"

"What? No! No, goodness no! It's just that one of the dramas has that going on but, like, it's not going to be aired until next month so, um, uh, I want to know what might happen."

"Oh, that again. Well, how 'not supposed to be together' is it?" He tilted his head.

"Like very. Like Student-teacher like."

Jean shrugged, "Er, that's hard, well, do I like her?"

The female nodded quickly, "I mean, you got jealous when she was with another guy. Do you consider that liking?"

The young male shrugged and sighed, "Okay, so am I the teacher? Or is she?"

"You."

"Wow, okay. That's super hard. I mean, my job is at stake and that's crazy. Plus, being a 'responsible adult' that I am, I would obviously disagree to anything at all… But I like this chick. Crap, this is real hard, bro, I got nothing. It would just have to be damn good."

Jeanne huffed, "Well, thanks anyways," she hung her head and continued to make her Nutella sandwich. So maybe she wasn't going to actually come up with something big, was she?

The following day, a very tired Jeanne sat at the lunch table with Arturia and her friends. She had bags under her eyes that were starting to look like the shade of her irises. She had not slept a wink the previous night for she had been trying t find a plan—and she wasn't able to.

"Hey, are you alright?" Gawain chirped as he leaned on the table to get closer to her.

Jeanne nodded, "Yeah, just super tired."

"Homework?"

She shook her head, "Nah, just insomnia." She barely had any appetite for the shepherd's pie in front of her self, but she shoved a fork of it in her mouth, nonetheless. Arturia had smiled at her and Jeanne felt guilty already, she wasn't able to help her friend.

"You'll be okay, just take a nap, we have third off anyway." Arturia pet her head, "Then you'll be all charged up for Chem."

Jeanne wanted to cry a little, Arturia was such a good friend, why couldn't she be of more use? "By the way, Lancey," Everyone called the tall violet-haired man that, "nice going. Gil still didn't show up today."

Lancelot let a chuckle slip as he gave a firm nod, "I heard. Seems to me like he's not going to be here for the entire week."

"I do hope so; he exhausts me in History." Jeanne set her head down on the table. The cafeteria was filled with the laughs and conversations of all the other students and it wasn't helping her concentrate on falling asleep. Everyone walking about in their uniforms and playing about with the garbage.

Something had hit Jeanne in the head and she lifted it to see a ball of tinfoil. She sighed and pushed it down the table and towards the garbage can, but another tinfoil ball hit her. She kept silent and looked about, seeing the group of girls that seemed to dislike her, a few boys among them.

Gawain too had noticed the tinfoil ball and turned in his seat to shoot a glare to the group two rows away from them. He then turned back to Jeanne and gave her a thumbs up.

Jeanne smiled and thanked him before setting her head down on the table again. She managed to drift into sleep after a long while, but upon doing so Arturia had kept her that way.

"So, what happened to that guy you met during the summer, the one you said was super friggen cute?" Guinevere recalled that Arturia had once gone on about a cute guy she was semi-dating.

Arturia blinked, "Uh, yeah, it didn't work out." She answered, "He had to go to university and it was quite far."

Guinevere pouted her lips and shrugged, "Wish I could have met him, he seemed like he was fine."

Arturia nodded, "Yes, he was."

Lancelot cleared his throat and looked at the girls, "Okay, we get it." He rolled his eyes, "We're still alive, by the way." He referred to the blond male next to him as well.

"Yeah, but you guys aren't that handsome." Guinevere snickered and then chuckled, "I'm kidding." She smiled after seeing a look of disbelief on Lancelot's face. "Anyway, Artie," she turned back to the blonde girl, "What do you think about the chemistry teacher? Isn't he hot? Like damn, those muscles…"

Arturia laughed and nodded, "He's handsome alright."

"Like gosh! Can I marry him?" Guinevere threw her head back, "Just imagine it, Lancelot walking me down the isle and Duibhne waiting at the altar for me, yes please! You'd be the best maid," she glanced at Arturia.

"He won't marry you, Guin." Arturia deadpanned.

"And, uh, why not? I'm gorgeous, just look at me." She mockingly flipped her hair and made a weird and highly unattractive face.

Pendragon laughed again and shook her head, "Yeah, right. Plus, he's a teacher, remember that."

"Hahaha," Guinevere purposely laughed like a witch, "I am known for not following rules when it comes to dating. Need I remind you my one-night stand with that politician?"

Arturia eyed her, " _Aspiring_ politician, and not a one-night stand. A date." She had seen the two and watched over her friend because Guinevere had said she needed to have back-up in case he tried pulling a move on her.

Guinevere liked to think herself the most experienced member in the group—although she was, she was not one to have one night stands, "Yeah, yeah, whatever." She waved a hand, "You don't think I have a chance with Mister Gorgeous?"

The green-eyed girl shook her head, "Nope," _he's mine. I'm not giving him up to you_. Of course she wasn't going to say that last part, that would have been tragic.

"You suck," Guin stuck her tongue out, "You're my friend, you're supposed to love me and tell me I can do it."

"I also have to be honest and I don't think you can do it."

"Boo!"

It wasn't long before lunch ended and Arturia woke up Jeanne so that they could go to the library for the rest of third. Jeanne was not able to fall asleep back in the library and instead they discussed their plan.

"Alright so, after class, you have to ask him straight up. Just say it." Jeanne thought that this was the best way.

"But what do I say? 'Hey, bro, I was thinking that maybe you'd like to have a forbidden romance with me, what do you say?' Insert me wiggling my eyebrows." Arturia played with the cap of her glass water bottle.

Jeanne laughed and shook her head, "No, of course not. Just tell him how you feel. Honestly, I've got nothing else. Okay so, what I have in mind is that you stay after class, or we go back after everyone has left and you go in while I keep watch. Then you go in or are already in and tell him how you feel. How you actually feel. You give him an ultimatum and a few days to think of his offer. Then, you kiss him on the cheek again. And done –finito!"

Arturia frowned, "Is that all you've got?"

The poor French girl nodded and dropped her head, "I'm sorry, Artie it's all I've got. All these shoujo animes didn't teach me a single thing."

A hand rested itself on her head and Jeanne looked up to see Arturia patting her head, "Well, do you think it's going to work?"

Jeanne's frown grew, cutting low and almost to her chin. She shook her head, "I don't know." She managed a shrug.

Arturia gave her a reassuring smile, "Well, we have to try it, yeah?"

Jeanne nodded slowly, "Yeah, okay."

Chemistry class went rather well, save for the part that Diarmuid was beat red because of the blonde in the class that caused him to remember the previous day's events. Actually, Grainne had asked him if he was feeling alright because he was red and it seemed like he had a fever or something.

Arturia leaned over to Jeanne and whispered her way, "I told you he looked so cute,"

Jeanne nodded and giggled a little, "He is.

By the time that the last bell rang, he was standing at the front of the class crowded by female students flirting with him. Arturia and Jeanne sat at their table as they worked on their homework, looking over the answer binder to check if they were doing everything right. It took a while for all the girls to leave the class, but as Jeanne thought that the coast was clear, Grainne entered the class, somewhat surprised to see the girls still there.

"Jeanne, Arturia, what are you still doing here?" She walked towards them with a bright smile on her lips, almost a welcoming one.

Jeanne smiled genuinely up at the brunette and shrugged, "Homework, we want to make sure we're doing it right." Arturia nodded in agreement and kept silent.

"Mind if I join you two? I also need to work a bit on my Chemistry," She removed her bag from her shoulder and looked at the two girls expectantly.

"Uh," Jeanne turned to Arturia.

"Yeah, okay." Arturia did not like Grainne much, as she always flirted with Diarmuid, but she was trying to make her relationship with Diarmuid not get found out and that meant not hating Grainne unnecessarily.

"Thanks, girls." She smiled brightly and sat in front of them.

Arturia glanced over at Diarmuid who seemed like he was marking something, a blush still on his face. She flickered her gaze to Grainne and sighed because now she wasn't able to talk to Diarmuid… but now she was starting to wonder why Grainne had returned to the classroom, could it be that she too was looking to get into a relationship with the handsome Chemistry teacher?


	14. A Big Mess

Arturia packed her belongings into her blue backpack and watched as Jeanne did the same. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Grainne shove a textbook into her purse—she was one of those rich girls that would rather use a purse than a backpack because of fashion statements instead of actual studying wise.

"You girls can go ahead, I need to speak with the teacher about something," Grainne smiled, her red lip-glossed lips etching wide and the corners of her mouth digging into her plump and high cheeks, "I'll see you girls later." A wink of a brown eye was soon followed by a wave of a hand. Her nails were painted red and they were rather long, rings ornamenting her fingers. She had nice slender hands, she was very beautiful and extravagant, Arturia would definitely admit… but she was not fit for Diarmuid.

Arturia smiled, a rather fake smile, and shrugged, "We don't mind waiting."

Grainne giggled and pushed her brown locks over her shoulder, letting them cascade down to her waist along with the rest of her hair; she was quite femininely—something Arturia thought she lacked, "Oh no, sweethearts, I wouldn't want to bother you. Plus, I am sure you are both just dying to get home; this Chemistry stuff is super-duper tiring."

Jeanne laughed and waved her hand, "It's okay, hun, we can totally wait." Arturia and Jeanne did as the taller blonde had said and they waited for the brunette. They talked about fencing and other seemingly unimportant things as Grainne went to talk to Diarmuid.

The brunette sighed and rolled her eyes after turning away from the other females. She held her purse strap tightly and walked towards the teacher, "Sir," her lips were a straight line. She had been planning to speak with him _alone_ , but the other females were quite stubborn.

"Yes?" He looked at her, his blush already gone now. His eyes flickered to Arturia, who had her gaze on them and then they fell back on the female in front of him. Arturia had been looking at him the entire time and he wondered if she had even been embarrassed for what she had done because he sure had a lot.

Grainne took the paper he was writing on and the grabbed a hold of the end of the pencil he was currently holding, "May I?" She fluttered her eyelashes and tilted her head in what she assumed was a cutesy pose that had gotten many guys to fall for her.

Diarmuid let go of the pencil and slowly leaned backwards so that she was not close to him, he already had learnt his lesson from Arturia. He blinked and watched as she wrote something down on the piece of lined paper that he had been writing notes on. She scribbled something down and passed it to him, "I needed your help with this question."

The tall man looked down at the paper and read what she had written down, his amber eyes grew a little and he shook his head, "This won't be on the test. Don't even think about it."

"Will it be on the exam?" She winked.

" _No_." He shook his head again and gulped, "You should get going home, now." He took the paper and crumpled it up into a ball before turning his head away.

Grainne frowned, brows knitting and a glare in her eyes before she sighed and shrugged, "Tell, me if that changes." She then turned on her heel and smiled at the girls as if nothing had happened, "Come on girls, let's go. Turns out that I don't need that question after all."

Arturia's gaze locked on Diarmuid's for a slight second before she turned back towards Grainne, "Oh," she mumbled, her eyes and voice void of emotion, "I see."

Jeanne was the first to make a move towards the door, she had a smile on her face and an animated stride. She looked quite determined, holding her head high as if she were a queen. She was soon followed by the brunette and then Arturia. They all headed to their lockers together and Jeanne and Arturia walked Grainne to her car.

Neither of two girls were friends with Grainne, but… they had to keep up appearances. It was almost four when Grainne waved them goodbye with one last smile before slipping into her silver and rather expensive car. They watched her back up and disappear out of the parking lot before they turned towards each other.

Jeanne had wide eyes and Arturia had her green one in slits, "She is trying to steal Diarmuid away from me," Arturia hissed and then took Jeanne by the hand, "Let's go execute our plan. Come on!"

Jeanne struggled to catch up to her best friend as they ran up the two flights of stairs before they were left panting at the doors of the third floor. They took a minute to catch their breath as the air around them was filled with their giggles.

Arturia fixed her white shirt and tie before flattening out her skirt, "How do I look?" She had a cheeky smile on her lips and she winked.

Jeanne laughed and shook her head, "Your hair is a complete mess." She stated before dropping her purple bag on the floor before lifting her hands up to her friend's head. She patted down the golden strands and then fixed the bun to the best of her abilities. The Frenchwoman took out a lip stick from her blazer pocket and smeared it on her thumb before rubbing it on the other's cheeks, "You looked a little pale."

"Do you think he'll like it?" Arturia looked down at the pink-red lipstick, her eyes trained on it as the image of the teacher snaked into her mind.

Jeanne shrugged, "I've read my fare share or Shoujo and in most that I have read, the guy always wipes the lipstick off the girl's lips and he says something like 'you don't need this to impress me, I love you the way you are'," Jeanne tried to deepen her voice to sound more like a man, "then the girl's all like 'Oh, insert-name-kun'." Her voice was more high pitched and she held a hand to her heart.

Arturia blinked before letting a chuckle slip, "Okay and what does that mean?"

Jeanne kept silent as she thought about it, "Um… I don't… know. Like it's good because you get a cute moment but the guy said he didn't like it… so I got no clue." The girl shrugged and bit her lower lip, "I say don't wear it."

The Englishwoman nodded and cleared her throat, "Okay, okay…" She tried to calm down her nerves, "Oh, _God_ , why me?" She slapped her cheeks in the process of supressing her blush, "I can't." She shook her head rapidly.

The violet-eyed girl rolled her eyes and pushed the other towards the doors that lead to the hallway, where right across them was the Chemistry classroom, "Yes you can, Artie, now come on. Just get in there and tell him!"

Arturia was trying to stop the movement of her being pushed by sticking her heel into the floor, "Don't do this to me!"

"Arturia! Come on! Are you going to let Grainne steal him from you because she has the balls to ask him out and you don't? Grow a pair and get in there."

"Okay, okay, don't push me. Let me just chillax." Arturia sighed and flailed her hands in anxiety.

Jeanne wrapped an arm around her and led her to the hallway, stopping in front of the big red door that hid the fateful classroom behind it, "You can do it, babe." She soothingly whispered in her ear before opening the door and pushing Arturia inside.

Arturia tumbled in, almost falling on her face before she actually collided against something hard and warm and falling upon it instead. She groaned as she opened her eyes from the rather cushioned impact and took a deep breath, she had probably looked like an idiot as she fell, but as her eyes settled on what had cushioned her fall, a blush grew on her face. She stared at the amber-eyed man for a while, her eyes traced his jawline and lingered on his peach lips for a second before they drifted to that beauty mark under the right amber orb, the skin underneath it slowly changing hues from ivory to rose.

Her eyes shot towards his when she heard his throat clear and then she realized what exactly had happened—she had fallen atop Diarmuid after Jeanne pushed her in the room. _Just_ _my_ _luck_ , _shit_ , she thought to herself as she tried to untangle her limbs from the male's. She rolled off of the man, trying her hardest not to use his body as support for her hands—she had almost pushed against his stomach as she tried to get off of him as gracefully as she possibly could.

"Are you alright?" The man asked as he slowly stood from the beige tiled floor, lifting his cross-body bag and offering a hand to her for she remained seated on the floor, her skirt fanning around her on the tile and her hair a mess again.

She looked up at him and their eyes locked on each other for a mere second before she noticed that his cheeks were slowly turning ivory again, "I should be asking _you_ that, sir," she took his hand and she was pulled up to her feet.

The black-haired man chuckled and rubbed the back of his head with his spare hand, "Yeah, hurt my head a bit, but I'm good. It isn't like I'm going to die."

She wondered how soft his hair could be as he ruffled it and she imagined running her own small hand through it as he laid his head on her lap and told a cheesy chemistry joke. She hadn't been able to do that while they were dating during the summer… Would his hair make her hand halt as it tangled in knots within her fingers or would her hand slide through his soft locks without a single problem?

"Are you sure you're alright?" The voice of Diarmuid snapped her back to reality, making her heart beat a little too fast.

"Uh, yeah, yeah," she nodded her head rapidly, as if trying to shake off the image in her mind— _this was not good._

The Chemistry teacher nodded lightly and smiled down at her, "That's good to hear," he then tilted his head, "Did you forget something? You're in luck, I was about to lock the door behind myself."

She shook her head, "No, I didn't. I just…" Her eyes dropped from his face and then she looked down, noticing their hands were still intertwined, a blush grew on her cheeks but she made no effort to slip her hand from his.

"Oh," it seemed like he had noticed because he let her hand fall as he retracted his own, "My sincerest apologies."

"Don't worry about it," Arturia smiled as she looked back up at him, seeing the blush on his cheeks like she had been hoping to.

"So, uhm, why are you here again?" He blinked down at her.

Her face dropped low again as she was preparing to tell him that she had more that student feelings for him for the second time. It was by mere chance that out of the corner of her sight, she noticed a crumpled paper on the floor, it looked like the one Grainne had written on earlier. Arturia dropped to her knees to reach it as it was under the desk and slowly stood, curiosity getting the best of her.

"Oh, that's mine, mind giving it to me?" He tilted his head; it might have tumbled out of the bag as he fell.

She saw the uneasiness in his eyes and shook her head, "It's mine now." She blinked and began to open the ball of paper to see what the brunette had written on it.

"It's mine, give it back," he reached for it but she moved away.

Arturia furrowed her brows, "Is it something bad? There's nothing to hide, right?"

Diarmuid reached for it again but she ran across the room with it, filling the classroom with footsteps as he chased her about, "Give it to me." He kept on demanding as he followed her. Her giggles flooded the room about them as she played a short game of tag before she deemed it time to fully open the paper and read what was on it.

Her giggles died down as she opened the paper and then her eyes skimmed over the words that were surely written by Grainne as the dots on the 'I's were little hearts. Her smile dropped and she looked at the man with big green eyes, " _Again_?" She referred to the note on the letter.

"Arturia, let me explain," Diarmuid gulped and lifted a hand as if to ease her the way one does to a rowdy horse. His breath hitched and he was trying to even it out as he took a step closer.

"What?" She glared at him, "What the hell?"


	15. Again?

_Father already approved of us, don't make me kiss you again._

The paper completely left Arturia's hand and flopped to the floor due to its damaged state, "Oh so if it's her it isn't going to jeopardize your career, but if it's me it's suddenly illegal? Could you not have just said that you did not like me? It's not fair, what the hell is wrong with you? Am I just not good enough for you?" Her voice did not hide her rage and she was practically turning red with anger as her hands balled into fists. Her heart was beating in her chest but she felt it at her throat as her nose felt all tingly.

"Arturia, please, calm down and listen to me," Diarmuid cautiously too a step towards her, making sure she would not flee or punch him.

"What? Are my eyes not glossy enough? Is it because I don't wear excessive makeup that makes me look like a totally different person? Am I not girly enough? Maybe I'm too brute, like the principal put it, that must be it, right?" So, this was what people called a heartache; her chest felt as if it was being compressed by those machines in a junk yard—it was painful.

The male shook his head rapidly, "No, Arturia. Just let me explain." He took one step closer and he was close enough to reach for her, but he refrained for she was very mad.

Arturia stepped on the letter, "I don't want to hear why you kissed her!" She yelled as she felt her nose tingle and causing her eyes to begin to water—she knew this process much too well.

"But I didn't kiss her, she kissed me! And only once at that!"

"Is that supposed to make me feel any better? As if I would fall for that!"

"I knew her before we met, I've known her for almost a year now."

"Oh so I was just a rebound, huh?"

Diarmuid slowly reached out his hand to take her arm, "It's a misunderstanding, Arturia."

"A misunder—Ugh! You just—you think you can get everything just because you have a pretty face, well, newsflash! You can't! You can't get everything you wish for, you jerk! I'm not falling for this!" She smacked his hand away before trying to rush out of the room.

He took a hold of her wrist before she ran out and nearly growled, "Arturia let me explain myself."

Arturia tried to shake his hand off harshly, "Let me go, you jerk! Just let me go!" Her voice cracked halfway and when she turned back to glare at him, he could see the tears welding in the corners of her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Arturia," he slipped his grip from her and watched as she roughly retracted her own and gave him one last glare. He watched her exit the classroom and slam the door behind her.

"What's wrong, Artie, I heard yelling…" Jeanne tilted her head as she had jumped at the sound of the red door being slammed shut so loudly it resonated throughout the empty school halls.

Arturia turned to look at her friend, and the look in her eyes gave it all away, "We're going home. Now." She managed to growl it out before storming down the hallway.

"W-wait up!" Jeanne hurried after her before she heard the door open behind her.

"Wait, Arturia, let me explain!" Diarmuid called down the hallway, not even worried about a teacher hearing them.

"Leave me alone!" The green-eyed female continued to walk as the other two followed after her.

Jeanne turned around to face her teacher and frowned, "Sir, I think you should leave her alone. She needs space." She spoke as she looked up at the man who had stopped in his tracks a few feet away from her.

"But I just want to—"

"Sir," the Frenchwoman continued, "It would be best."

Diarmuid sighed loudly and nodded as he ran a hand through his hair, "A-Alright."

Jeanne could see the obvious desperation in his facial features before she bowed her head and then ran off after her friend, calling her name as she made her way down the hallway. The studious female had caught up to her friend only when she was standing by the car waiting.

"Open the door," Arturia had her arms crossed over her chest, anger still written all over her face.

The poor girl with the long braid ran to her car and opened the doors, sliding in before Arturia did so as well, slamming the door again, "What happened? I thought everything was going well, I heard giggles and then… and then you guys were yelling at each other…"

"Was he following us?" Arturia kept an eye out to see if he was around.

Jeanne shook her head, "I told him not to, I thought that you would prefer that."

Arturia took a deep breath and felt a warm tear slide down her cheek, "Just drive me home, we'll talk about it there."

Jeanne drove them in silence, not even letting the radio fill the empty space between them with songs because she could tell Arturia was irritated and she never liked to listen to music when she was like that.

They arrived at Arturia's house and Jeanne began to park her car in the driveway. She had not even finished parking the car before Arturia exited it in a rush to disappear into her room. After Jeanne turned off the car—one not nearly as luxurious as Grainne's—she followed after the other blonde.

Arturia was standing at her door frame before she grabbed the first thing closest to her and threw it on the floor; which happened to be a glass of water. "Grainne ruined everything! There was this stupid damn note she wrote to him. Apparently they kissed! They bloody kissed and here I thought maybe—just maybe—he had feelings for me." She walked over the broken glass and threw something else on the floor, "Turns out he's been with Grainne this entire time—even while we were dating!" She yelled in frustration and finally throwing yet another thing onto the floor; a plastic toy Diarmuid had given her when they went to the Amusement park. "Nothing ever goes my way, it's like someone out there hates me and is planning everything against me!"

Jeanne watched her friend rant before she too walked over the broken glass and puddle of water towards Arturia. She took a deep breath and sat on the bed where Arturia had plopped down.

"I'm so stupid! Ugh! H-how could I even _think_ that Diarmuid was interested in me? I'm so pathetic! How could I—why was I so stupid?"

A sigh came from Jeanne as she wrapped and arm around her friend as it to comfort her, "Arturia, that's not true. You aren't stupid or pathetic, it's just—"

Arturia shook Jeanne's hand and then rubbed her face, "Of course I am! I'm not pretty or anything and I _somehow_ expected Diarmuid to prefer me over Grainne. Grainne, the one everyone is in _love_ with."

"Arturia… You and Grainne are two different people; you cannot compare yourself to her. Plus, I'm sure Diarmuid has an explanation for everything, you could be misunderstanding. He seemed very genuinely interested in you and apologetic."

"Oh _God_ , Jeanne, you're supposed to be on my bloody side! What happened to the whole 'you hurt my friend, I beat you up' stuff? Are you going to defend him and not me?"

"I'm not defending him! I'm just saying that you have to let him explain everything! I do think he was in the wrong anyways, but you have to patch things up. I trust him, and you know I barely trust anyone, Arturia. Come on, just this time."

"Jeanne, be on my side! Get angry with him too, It's not fair that you're my _best_ _friend_ and you aren't siding with me!" Arturia glared at the other female, balling her hands to fists again.

Jeanne rubbed her face, "Okay, I'll be on your side, I'm sorry. It's just that being angry like this isn't the right thing, we have to let him explain some day; that'll be the right thing."

Arturia groaned as she fell back on her bed, "Jeanne, am I just not good enough? Am I ugly or something?"

Her friend patted her head softly, "You're beautiful, and don't worry about Grainne, she'll get what's coming for her."

The green-eyed girl covered her face and took a shaky breath, "I am so fricken stupid. Why?" Her voice was shaky again and Jeanne only continued to pat her head slowly and soothingly.

"Babe, it's going to be okay," the violet-eyed girl soothed, "You're going to be alright, sweetie."

Arturia had seemed to calm down and Jeanne stood to clean the mess that the other had made. She went to the bathroom and picked up a towel and a broom before heading back to the room and picking up the glass shards and drying the hardwood floor. The broken glass had left a dent and some scratches that would need to be fixed later on.

After having finished, Jeanne went back to the bed and sat against the head board patting her lap, "Come on, babe," she smiled.

Arturia set her head on Jeanne's lap and the other began to play with her hair. The Frenchwoman knew that Arturia found it soothing when people played with her hair and so she began to make small golden French braids.

"Can I not go to school tomorrow?" Arturia whispered, staring aimlessly at the wardrobe.

Jeanne shrugged, "Why don't you want to go?"

"I don't want to see him… he pissed me off."

Another shrug and the braid continued, "You have to ask your father, don't ask me." She chuckled, "You can stay one day but you can't leave me alone for another."

"Okay, but I'll most likely stay home for two days, I don't even want to see anyone." The shorter blonde sighed.

"What if Gil shows up with a black eye and you miss it? You can't miss a bruise up Gilgamesh."

Arturia chuckled at the playful tone of her best friend, "Then you would have to take a picture, it lasts longer and we can blackmail him."

Jeanne giggled and nodded, "You blackmail him, I won't be part of that."

The girls continued to talk about other things that made Arturia smile and not curl up in a ball. Most of the talk was about Gilgamesh and how he most likely looked with a black eye. But it was soon late and Uther had arrived home, greeting both the females before Jeanne bid her farewell for the night.

The following day, Jeanne avoided all contact with her chemistry teacher—including eye contact, even if he called her name. He had hurt her friend, and Jeanne was completely upset with him, but she was still open to the idea of hearing him out. After school, Jeanne was unable to visit Arturia for she had to make her way straight from the private school to her part-time job at a convenience store.

She put on her black and white uniform before exiting the breakroom and heading towards the shop. Her hair was void of a long braid and was simply held back in a pony tail that stopped at her thighs. She fixed her name tag and began to clean up the shelves. Most of the time had gone by with her stocking the shelves of the convenience store until her partner had gone home early for personal reasons.

She usually worked closing hours so she was not expecting anymore customers so late at night until the little bell above the door rang. Jeanne sighed before setting what she was stocking down and walking over to the cashier casually. Once she was behind the counter, she saw a blue head of hair walk between the isles of the store. She recalled the deep-ocean haired man and shook her head.

Jeanne tapped her nails on the counter and waited for the person to make their way away from the candy isle and towards the cashier.


	16. Blue Hair and Black Eyes

Jeanne continued to tap her fingers on the glass counter and stared down at the lottery tickets beneath it. She took a deep breath and waited patiently for the person…but she decided to tilt her body so that she could see down the isle that the person remained fixed in. She was used to customers standing at the isle deciding what they were going to do, but for some odd reason she felt as if she needed to view them.

To her surprise, she noted the person taking a pack of what looked like gum and shoving it into the grey sweater pocket. Immediately frowning, Jeanne leaned back and watched the person approach the cashier.

"I would like to have a pack of cigarettes as well as this chocolate," the man set the candy bar on the counter as he grabbed the wallet from his back pocket. Upon lifting his face from the counter, he came across the pretty face of the girl he had met at the coffee shop, "Oh! Hello, lass,"

Jeanne shouldn't have been surprised—she really shouldn't have, but the look on her face still demonstrated otherwise and it made him crack a chuckle, "I would need your I.D." She grumbled after calming herself from being amazed.

"I.D? And why is that, sweetheart? You already know my name," The blue-haired man known as Cú Chulainn winked at her.

"You have to be nineteen to legally purchase cigarettes and I would need to check you I.D. for your age. Check the sign," She deadpanned as she pointed at a sign behind her that read what she had recited, crossing her arms over her chest afterwards.

"Seriously? Ugh, how about you make an exception?" He gave a toothy grin, probably hoping to make her heart flutter or something.

Jeanne shook her head and sighed, "I'm afraid that it would be breaking the law. If you are not nineteen, you are not to be smoking."

"It wasn't like this in Ireland…" Cú Chulainn groaned and then shrugged, "Alright, so just the chocolate bar then." He set a twenty-dollar bill on the counter and Jeanne quickly charged him for the pack of gum he seemed to be stealing and the candy bar, giving him less than eighteen dollars back, "I'm pretty sure tax is only thirteen cents per dollar, so why did you charge me for two candy bars?"

"Because I am also charging you for the gum you planed to steal, so if you don't want it, take it out of your pocket before I ban you from this store." She blinked. She didn't like thieves or dishonest people, and so she was partially glaring at the male before her.

The boy let a smirk grow on his lips and then gave a nod, "You've been watching me," he winked, "You're a bright one."

Jeanne gave a smile and nodded, "I am, thank you, and that means I wouldn't let you steal from me."

"Check my pockets, sweetheart, I don't have it anymore, I knew you were keeping an eye on me," he then inverted his pockets and demonstrated he really didn't have it on him.

"I… but you just—"

"I don't steal, I might smoke, but I don't steal." Cú Chulainn nodded again and then let his gaze drop from her violet eyes to her chest once more, but only in search of a nametag, "Well, miss Jeanne, I have a feeling we're going to see each other quite a bit, my darling."

Jeanne sighed loudly and shook her head, "Did you, perhaps, admit to stalking me?" She blinked at him.

"Weren't you just keeping an eye on me? Anyway, I think that God just wants us to get together, would you listen to God?"

The female crossed her arms over her chest and turned away, "We will see if God does want us to be together…"

"Goodbye, sweetheart." She heard him and then footsteps followed before she heard the jiggling of the bells that indicated he was gone. She went back to stocking after he had left and she did so for a few more minutes until the bell rang again, letting her hair free from the ponytail in the process.

She went back to the cashier, frowning for she had thought that Cú Chulainn had just returned to piss her off even more, but she was silenced when a man with a black sweater on, hood over his head and sunglasses approached the cashier counter after coming from the refrigerated isle.

The man set an energy drink on the counter, still keeping his gaze averted from hers—not that she could really see as he was wearing dark sunglasses.

"No sunglasses or hoods inside the store," she spoke as she pointed at a sign, "Read the sign."

The man lifted his head, "What? No. I can't take them off." The voice of the man seemed quite familiar, but she did not really pay attention.

"Failure to comply with store policy can get you kicked out." She was quite strict when it came to rules—well, the ones that made sense anyways.

"Jeanne, please, just let me keep my sunglasses. I'll take off the hood, just not the glasses."

Her eyes grew into huge amethysts and she leaned over the counter, "Gilgamesh? Is that really you?"

The man took off his hood and it revealed the straight golden locks of the boy she knew much too well, "Not the sunglasses," he pouted.

Jeanne chuckled and shook her head, "You just don't want me to see that black eye of yours, is that it?"

"Oh, shut up," he growled, "Leave me be."

"Can I please see? Oh please, I promise not to tell a single soul. I'll give you the answers of the assignment you missed." She winked an eye and extended her hand so that he could pass her the bill for the energy drink.

Gilgamesh did not pass her a bill, instead he gave her the exact change for the drink and then removed his glasses, "Just for the assignment."

Jeanne's lips formed a bright smile as her eyes landed on the black eye that Lancelot had caused. She had to stop herself from forming a brighter smile as her eyes skimmed over the tender bruised skin. It was healing nicely, and she guessed it was because the son of a politician couldn't not endanger his future career with such a thing. His eye was still a bit puffy and the purple skin was starting to fade a considerable amount, "Looking good, Gil." She smiled.

Gilgamesh glared at her as she punched in the price at the cashier register and dropped the coins in after sorting them, "Yeah whatever, happy now?"

"You look attractive, like a bad boy or something." She complimented, not really having a second meaning to her words, just stating what she saw, "You just need a leather jacket."

"Sure," Gilgamesh rolled his eyes as he scoffed and picked up the energy drink, "Whatever you say."

"Honestly, you look 'wild'," she quoted and giggled, "It suits you."

"You're only saying that because you want to see me with a black eye all the time."

Jeanne laughed and nodded, "I would be lying if I said no. Are you coming to school tomorrow? You're missing an awful lot of History." She smiled as she crossed her arms over her chest and leaned forward a little, onto the counter top.

"We'll have to see," The male blinked his ruby red eyes and prepared to leave, "Your hair looks nice like that, I like it loose."

Jeanne's smile grew a little more as she noticed he had returned the compliment and she tilted her head, "Aw, thanks Gil."

"Yeah, whatever." He waved his hand as to dismiss the matter.

"You can actually be really sweet when you want to."

He turned back to her with a blush on his cheeks and a glare in his eyes—she wondered how many colours a man could hold on his face at once and she was glad he answered her question, "Just shut up," he stormed out after that.

The following day, that Friday, Jeanne sent a text to Arturia during first period for Gilgamesh had decided to show up, but with make-up covering his sweet black eye that it was disappointing. She urged Arturia to show up and after a lot of convincing, Arturia had said she would be there by second period.

Gilgamesh did not sit next to Jeanne as he still had said that Arturia was the one to punch him and usually, you don't sit with the friends of the people that gave you a black eye. Jeanne was slightly relieved that he didn't sit with her, but at the same time a little lonely because after having Gilgamesh seated next to her for a while, she had come accustomed to having someone around.

"Can you believe that Diarmuid isn't here today?" Jeanne over heard a girl talking in her class.

Another seemed to join in the conversation, "I heard he went back to Ireland."

"You think he had enough of us?"

"Maybe, I mean all the girls were after him… Oh, don't you find it fishy that Grainne isn't here either?"

"Yeah! And she kept saying that she had kissed him! Do you think they ran off together?"

"Oh please, she isn't even _that_ pretty. He wouldn't go with her, look at me, I'm prettier than her."

"But she's richer than you!"

Jeanne turned her head towards the girl's and furrowed her brows, "Did he really go back to Ireland?"

A brunette turned to her and nodded rapidly, "That's what I heard Miss Grail saying. She said he told her a few days ago that he was going back to Ireland, but I don't know if he just left forever. I doubt it."

"I think he's on a little escapade with Grainne," one of the girl's giggled.

"Oh…" Jeanne nodded slowly, "Okay. I just hope that isn't true."

"Me too," the brunette sighed, "He's so cute I wouldn't want him to have a girl friend."

"He does, she's this short blond girl." Jeanne blurted, glad that Gilgamesh was not seated next to her. The bell rang right afterwards and Jeanne shot up from her seat and waved the other females goodbye before running out to find Arturia.

Arturia stood outside her physics classroom, the one she shared with Gilgamesh, and greeted Jeanne when she got there, "Diarmuid isn't here anymore, this girl said that she went back to Ireland." She mumbled lowly and gulped, "Do you think that he's gone forever?"

Arturia shrugged, "I frankly don't care."

"Are you sure?" Jeanne sang, "I'm sure you really do care. Plus, he still wanted to explain things to you before he left, what if he never comes back?"

"Not my problem." The other female shrugged and then entered her classroom.

"Arturia, you can't act like this forever!" The French girl called after her friend.

When fourth period came, the teacher was not there and they had a supply for the period. Nothing much happened other than the girls were able to finish their homework and were able to do so with time to spare. Jeanne drove Arturia home because now that the weather was getting colder and the rain was stopping Arturia from riding her motorcycle.

Upon arriving home, Arturia readied her fencing equipment and prepared for the fateful afterschool activity that her father thought was good for discipline. It was going to be hard to return after two years of avoiding it… but she couldn't deny her father of what he had ordered of her. Although she was the second child, she was still the heir of the Pendragon Company and that was already a hassle to handle. Business was not exactly her passion, but she did very well in it, she preferred criminology for she felt it was a more direct approach to helping people… even if she could not have protected her mother.


	17. It Wasn't Supposed to be Like This

Her father dropped her off at fencing at around six in the afternoon and gave her a goodbye wave—she made sure not to create any further arguments as she had done the other time. She slipped out of the sports car and grabbed the duffle bag from the trunk. She gave her father one last wave of goodbye and then entered the pristine building she had not stepped in in a little over two years.

The weather was much more different now than it had been two years ago, and it was somewhat refreshing that she did not have to worry much about it since the memories were being kept supressed in the back of her mind.

She entered the change room and quickly changed out of her school uniform and into her fencing attire—including the chest protection plate. She usually hated the darn plastic plate, but the last time she had not worn it, the instructor scolded her for a good half hour. After placing on her fencing jacket, she slipped into the lame and did not forget to tighten her sleeve over her knee brace as to protect it even further.

There weren't many girls in the change room and so Arturia was quick to change and exit towards the arena. She walked past the boys' changing room and down the hallway further so that she would arrive at the main arena, once there, she placed on her helmet and waited on a bench in silence.

Her instructor, who wore a black suit, walked up to her sans helmet and a smile on his face, "Pendragon, you really came back. How are things?"

Arturia removed her helmet and gave him a courtesy smile, "Things are going well, Father is still hoping I take over the company."

"It's going up in the market, isn't it?"

"Yes, it's finally going up again after falling for a while. I'm hoping it only keeps going up and up from here."

"And your sister, how is she doing?"

Arturia sighed, "Morgana is in England until summer, she is seeing over our branch there, until I go and take care of it."

Her instructor smiled, "That sounds great, are you looking forward to going to England?"

"Umm," Arturia gave a nod, "Yes, it would be really nice."

More people trickled in and the instructor gave her one last smile before he walked to the middle of the large room. Arturia wasted no time in placing her mask back on and following behind. She stood still as the man recited some brief announcements and some two people were called up to fight.

"Êtes-vous prêts?"

It was about twenty minutes into the practice that it had been her turn to go up against someone. She readied her sabre and positioned herself at the starting point, her opponent before her also doing the same.

"En garde." The instructor announced and both of the fencers readied their sabres.

"Êtes-vous prêts?" The referee asked and Arturia and her opponent agreed, "Allez."

A whistle was blown and Arturia took a step forward, her arm positioned close to herself in a _pronation_ _trice_ position—the most common fencing position.

Arturia anticipated the strike of her opponent by their footwork and she immediately fell back into a parry defense as the man before her went for a thrust.

The person decided to opt for a lunge and Arturia was unable to deflect it. After the point was awarded to him, the two fencers went back to the starting point again. They approached each other once more and her opponent got her again with a disengage—a type of attack that changes direction so that the defender blocks the wrong position.

She got hit a couple of more times and it was getting her frustrated.

"You've lost your agility, haven't you Pendragon?" Her opponent commented and it raged Arturia a little more.

Upon the sound of the whistling, Arturia decided that a beat attack was best for the situation. She followed through with a thrust but the man blocked it. She then lunged, projecting herself forward with her bad knee, but her attack had been foreseen and a point in line was what got her. They both earned a point and walked back—Arturia was annoyed by this point.

Her blood was boiling at the thought of her loosing and the people whispering around them saying that she had lost her touch. The darn whistle blew for the tenth time and she provoked her offender with a feint, hoping to get a reaction and following with a disengage—ultimately earning a point.

Two whistles ended the fight and Arturia jumped off the mats in frustration of her loss. She had not practiced in a long while but it still irked her. She used to be the best that the fencing school had, and now she was falling down the ranks.

"Great fight, Pendragon." A hand was offered to her, she recognized the voice to be that of her opponent and she took off her helmet, ignoring the hand.

"Hmpf."

"Reckon you don't recognize me yet." The man spoke again and Arturia quirked an eyebrow to view him as he removed his helmet, "I feel a little hurt."

Arturia's eyes widened at the sight of her old friend, long platinum hair and a soft smile on his lips, "Bedivere?"

The man smiled wider and nodded, "Hey, how's the leg?"

The blonde female smiled back and shrugged, "Doing better." She answered, "Heard you're the best in the country."

"Do you watch my tournaments?" Bedivere asked, a cocky look in his eyes, "Am I good?"

Arturia grinned and shook her head as she sighed, "You're okay, kid, you're okay."

"You're just jealous I beat you back there, Miss Champion." He chuckled and sat next to her on the bench.

"Sure," she rolled her green eyes mockingly, "As if." They continued to catch up until it was time to find a partner and practice. It was logical that they partnered up and continued to practice for the rest of the night. They both went back to the change rooms after it was over and met up at the lobby.

They talked a little more until everyone had left and it was only them that were left behind.

She sat patiently waiting for her father to pick her up, Bedivere sitting next to her and trying to strike up a conversation. It wasn't that Arturia was being rude, it was just that she wanted to keep silent for she waited with anticipation. She answered Bedivere with short and simple answers so that he would get the point that she was not in the mood of making a conversation for she was rather unsettled.

To her relief, she heard her father's sports car drive in and she gave Bedivere a prompt wave as she left the building. She closed the car door shut behind herself after she had settled in her seat, she greeted her father and leaned her head against the glass. She closed her eyes as the classical music filled the small car.

_Arturia groaned as her mother drove up to the building and slowed to a halt, "No, mother!"_

" _Arturia, just listen to me." Her mother glared at her, "We'll continue after Fencing."_

" _I thought I told you that I could make my own decisions." Arturia slammed the car door behind herself as she stomped up the short stair case in front of the Fencing school building. Her entire fencing class had been soured with the fight she had had with her mother and both Bedivere and Lancelot were trying to calm her down, "I told her to stop it with the whole arranged marriage thing but she just doesn't get it."_

" _Arturia," Lancelot spoke, "I understand, but you have to listen to your mother."_

" _Lancelot! I don't want to get married to Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh!"_

" _Didn't she say she was going to find someone else?" Bedivere sat next to her with his arms crossed over his chest._

_Arturia rolled her eyes and sat back, "I highly doubt it. Who else is she going to find who is as remotely rich as Gilgamesh? All my father wants is to make our company richer and my mother won't even back me up. It's so not fair."_

_It wasn't long before her mother picked her up and Arturia was hoping that she would not talk about it._

_Igraine looked at her daughter and smiled, "Hey, sweetie, so I found a guy you would totally like." She spoke as she drove into the night and made her way back to their house._

_Arturia grunted and crossed her arms over her chest, "I thought I told you that I did not want an arranged marriage. I told you!"_

" _If you would just listen, you would understand." Her mother shook her head, keeping her eyes on the road, "He is the son of a wealthy business man in Ireland. In fact, his father practically owns the market there. I did some research on him and I think he would be perfect for you."_

" _Mother! I said that I did not want this. I don't care who he is! I don't want this!"_

_Igraine let out a groan, "Just listen to me! He is a good suitor; he seems to be a good man as well."_

" _Mother, I don't want to live unhappy and stale life as Father and you have it. I don't want to live with a stick up my butt because I'm so unhappy with the person I married."_

_The older blonde gasped and turned to her daughter for a second as she crossed an intersection lit in her favour, "I'll have you know that your father and I are very happy together!"_

_A thought popped into her mind and she blurted it out without thinking of future consequences, "Is that why I saw him with someone else?" She regretted that lie as soon as it slipped from her mouth—it was the biggest lie she had ever told and she could never forgive herself for it. Head lights lit up the interior of the car and Arturia barely had time to cry out as the car was hit from the driver's side and caused them to skid with it._

The buzzing in her thigh was what snapped her out of her memory, she gasped and slid her hand into her pocket and answered the phone after glancing at her father for a slight second, "Hello?" She wiped a tear from her eye as she tried to forget the incident.

"Hey Artie, how was fencing? Did everything go smoothly?" Jeanne asked through the telephone line, interest present in her voice.

Arturia took a deep breath to calm herself and gave a nod, although her best friend could not see her, "It went well, I saw Bedivere again."

"Bedie? That's great! How was he doing?"

"He beat me really bad, I'm ashamed I became so stiff," Arturia tried to chuckle, "It was horrible."

Jeanne giggled a little and then spoke again, "That sounds funny. Are you home yet, babe?"

"Not yet, we're almost there." Arturia noted the supermarket that they drove by which indicated that they were near their house.

"Okay, so I just wanted to tell you that Guinevere called me saying that she had been trying to get a hold of you because apparently this rich guy is having a party tomorrow and she wants you to go. Something about a suitor and your father approved."

Arturia shot her head towards her father and furrowed her brows, "Uh, alright, I'll see." She spoke and then mumbled a goodbye before hanging up, after they had exited the car and strolled into their house Arturia thought to bring it up, "Uh, dad, is it true that—"

"Oh, yes, Guinevere said that there was an Irish suitor for you." Talk of suitors had ended with the accident and her father was finally starting to think it was time for Arturia to be introduced to a man that would benefit the company, "I think it might be the same one that your mother was hoping to get you to meet. I wanted you to go to the cocktail party and get to meet him and check if you like him."

Arturia blinked at her father, "But, um,"

"If you don't like him, you don't have to marry him. Just try to see if he's good for you." Her father mumbled, "If not, the cocktail party should allow for you to meet other men that could be potential suitors."

* * *

 

Jeanne drove up in her used white Suzuki SUV, that Arturia had gotten her for her birthday, or else she would have had to rent a double-seated bicycle. Arturia entered the car and pulled down her black and gold dress a little more, "You look so cute," Jeanne commented. Her dress was a long-sleeve with a sweetheart neck line and puffy shoulders, it was decorated with golden flowered lace every now and again.

"You know I hate short dresses." Arturia glared at her friend, "What's up with your get-up?" Her friend had a white dress with flowered patterns as well. Puffy at the waist and down—it looked more bustle-like, having the back longer than the front, it was mid-sleeved with a square neck line and a blue ribbon at the waist.

"It's the only fancy dress I have." Jeanne mumbled, "What? Is it ugly?"

"No, you look gorgeous," Arturia smiled, "Like you really are the heiress of a company."

Jeanne laughed, "Aw, thanks. I don't look poor." She smirked and shrugged, "I'm anxious, it's the first cocktail party that I've ever been to; this is exciting! What does one even do in a cocktail party?"

"You just smile and look pretty," Arturia laughed, "That's what I've learned from my father's cocktail parties."

"But there's food, yes?" Jeanne wiggled her eyebrows and winked at her friend.

"Yes, for sure." The rest of the ride was mostly silent and Jeanne parked in the visitor parking and replaced her sneakers—that she had put on for driving—with teal heels that Arturia lent her (since they were the same size).

They both walked towards the large building and entered the rather fancy reception area. Arturia walked up to the receptionist and gave a smile, "Hello, we're here for the cocktail party in suite number five."

The receptionist smiled at them and looked at their formal attire, "Yes, of course. Take the elevator number three." He had seemed sort of confused but the girls thought nothing of it.

"Wow, I've never seen another place as fancy as your house." Jeanne commented with a smile on her lips.

Even the elevator was top-notch—covered in only glass—as they took it to the top floor where they would find the suite. Once the elevator doors opened the two girls could hear the rowdy and non-formal-like music that made the hallway shake with the bass. The two girls looked at one another with skeptical faces as they walked towards the suite.

4… _Dance, Dance, we're falling apart_ … 5…

The music was very clear as they had stopped in front of the suite and Arturia clearly knew this was no 'cocktail party'. Fall Out Boy continued to play through the stereo system as the girls opened the door and landed their eyes on what appeared to be a jungle of people.

"Cocktail parties are not what I expected…" Jeanne mumbled with confusion on her features.

"Uh… This is not a cocktail party… This is a house party." Arturia blinked.

"Oh!" They were snapped out of their trances when a female with dark hair and a red plastic cup in her hand called out to them, "My baby girls looking so fancy!"

"Guin! I thought you said this was a _cocktail_ _party_!" Arturia took the female by the arm.

Guinevere giggled and shook her head, "Artie-baby, you know cocktail party is code for house party."

"Then what is it called when it's an actual cocktail party?" Arturia glared at her friend.

"Uh, it's when you get a formal invitation, duh!" Guinevere laughed at her friend and Arturia sighed in defeat, she should have seen this coming.

Guinevere wrapped her arms around her friends, the red plastic cup hovering over Jeanne's dress; causing her anxiety, "Now that you're here, let's party!" She guided them towards the center of the loft.

Now, the loft was gorgeous—if Jeanne had to put it into words. There was a twenty-foot-tall glass window that practically ran across the entire opposite side of the door. Man, was it luxurious. The skyline was sublime and there seemed to be a patio past the glass. The kitchen and dinning room were to their left and past the spiral staircase that lead to what seemed was where the bedrooms were.

Jeanne was unable to see the decorations of the penthouse through the sweaty and dancing teenagers of the loft, but she was sure it was gorgeous, "Careful, Guinevere, I have a _white_ dress." Jeanne's anxiety was skyrocketing when she noticed the red cup kept tilting by the minute.

"And you look like a goddess," the girl stuck out her tongue, "You're just gorgeous."

"So you said he was a good suitor or something?" Arturia tilted her head towards her friend.

"Ah, yes," Guinevere nodded, "'parently he's rich as eff and he's got it all in the looks department. He's simply handsome! I just haven't actually seen him; I've only heard _of_ him."

"How about we look around, Jeanne?" Arturia asked as she bit her lower lip, "Maybe we can see if he's worth the shot."

Jeanne chuckled nervously, noting that the song changed into a Green Day one, "I don't snoop, Artie, what if we get caught?"

"It's not snooping; we're just being detectives." The Englishwoman smirked, "Yes?"

The taller of the two blondes sighed and shrugged, "If you insist." She spoke.

"Okay," Arturia grinned, "I'll go up to the bedrooms and you look around here, enjoy the party too."

Guinevere shook her head, "And what do I do?" She smiled.

"Enjoy the party." Arturia answered her brunette friend.

Jeanne watched as Arturia left them and Guinevere held a bright smile on her lips. Jeanne waved Guin goodbye and excused herself. The loft was burning hot since there were so many people packed in it. She squeezed through a bunch of people and was able to make it to the patio, away from the loud sounds to get some fresh air. Upon reaching the patio, Jeanne took a deep breath and nearly gasped at the beautiful skyline.

She walked towards the ledge and looked down, the place had the perfect view of the city and it was simply beautiful. There was a bright smile on her red lips as she looked at the beauty before her.

Meanwhile, Arturia had made it to the second floor of the loft and tried to open every door she came across. Most of the people were dancing and drinking so no one paid attention to her snooping about. Many of the doors were locked and what wasn't were the two bathrooms and a towel closet. There was a final door at the end of the hallway and she tried to open it a couple of times until a voice had made her jump.

"Um, what are you doing?" Her head whipped towards the sound and she saw a tall boy with a rather weird hair cut. Blue spiked up hair at the front and what seemed like a ponytail over his shoulder. There were silver earrings on each of his ears and one of them had a cuff.

"Uh…" She blinked trying to come with an excuse and trying not to be intimidated with the red eyes that stared her down, "I was—uh, looking for the bathroom."

The man gave her an odd look, "Then you wouldn't be trying to open it so roughly."

"I just _really_ need to go." Arturia felt her cheeks get hot and she was already very embarrassed.

"Right. Well it's the second door down the hall." She noted the familiarity in his features but kept silent as she hurried off to the bathroom.

Cú Chulainn let his eyes follow her until she entered the bathroom and he murmured lowly to himself, "What an odd girl." He had noticed that she had come a little too fancy for a house party but shrugged it off, turning about and leaning on the glass railing as he looked down at the living room and then caught an eye of a long braid in the patio, "Jeanne?" A smile grew on his lips and he raced down the stairs, but he was stopped by the crowd of people that stood in the living room.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Cú Chulainn growled at a blond kid that was on top of the coffee table, "That's Norwegian wood, get the fuck down."

"Chill out, this is a party," the red-eyed blond chuckled.

"That costs a shit-ton of money, get down." The blue-haired man argued.

The other male got down from the coffee table and glared at him, "Ugh," he grunted and then spoke, "this isn't even your place."

"Exactly. So don't fucking break anything—especially not the table." Cú Chulainn continued, eyes in slits.

Jeanne had had enough of couples making out in the patio, so she entered the loud loft again and paid no heed to the commotion that seemed to come from near the fireplace. Instead, she walked to the kitchen where she hoped to find something to drink that was not alcoholic.

Once she had soundly arrived at the kitchen, she looked about the granite counter and saw the set of knives atop it, "That's very dangerous." She commented as she walked to them and took the set in her hands, "These are so fancy…" She got distracted by the glass holder and the nice handles that the knives had. After marvelling at their beauty, she looked about the kitchen for a safe place to store them and she deemed that no one would go looking in the cabinets under the sink. She crouched down to place them inside.

Cú Chulainn had finished his argument with the red-eyed snobby blond kid who seemed to be covering a black eye with make-up and then hurried to the patio where he hoped Jeanne had remained. He glanced at the kitchen and saw no one and then proceeded to the patio.

Jeanne had found a bunch of valuables under the sink. She had already snuggly placed the knife-set inside and seen a bunch of vases and picture frames. One of them caught her eyes and she pulled it out from the cabinet. She looked down at a picture of three children with an older adult, it was such a cute picture. She recalled that Arturia had asked to 'investigate' so she pulled out her out dated smart phone and took the best picture that she could possibly take.

Jeanne closed the cabinets after putting her phone away and sending a text to Arturia saying that they should head off. She slipped out of the kitchen and looked up at the second floor as she got drafted into the clump of people in the living room.

After not finding Jeanne in the patio, Cú Chulainn hurried to the kitchen where he thought was the only place she could be. He avoided the crowd of loud and tipsy teenagers and snaked into the kitchen without further complications.

Arturia exited the washroom after people had knocked and knocked and then she glanced down at the dancefloor to see Jeanne waving at her and signalling to check her cellphone. Arturia did just that and saw the message but she gave the other female an odd look for she still had not found a single thing.

"Jeanne?" Jeanne jumped at the call of her name that came next to her ear. She turned about in a rapid motion and her violet eyes locked with red orbs, "What are you doing here? And why are you dressed as if you're going to a cocktail party?" The tall boy asked her, his brows furrowed together.

"You scared me!" She held a hand to her chest and the red eyes of the boy before her dropped down to her chest as well.

"Though, I've got to admit that the dress—although too fancy for this type of party—looks great on you." The boy complimented.

Jeanne gave him a warning look and shook her head, "Well, I've got to go now." She turned about to leave but he caught a hold of her arm.

"Is Arturia with you?" He asked, tilting his head and trying to study her facial features.

"Gilgamesh," Jeanne blinked, "I really have to go."

A person bumped into them and it seemed like he could not take the contents of his drink and was so close to puking all over Jeanne's beautiful white dress when Gilgamesh had enough time to intervene and pull her towards himself. Her face was buried into his chest as the sound of hurling danced with the music.

Gilgamesh gave a nod after she had pulled away from him, careful not to land a teal heel in the vomit that was all over the beautiful red carpet, and then smiled at her, "Next time, be careful, that dress is white."

Jeanne felt relief wash over her, "Geez, thanks, Gil. I would have puked too." She covered her mouth as she did not like the sound of someone puking or the smell of it. As she looked up at the blond male, she reached her hand and smoothed out the foundation over his eye so that it did not look artificial, "Well, bye." She waved and quickly ran to the spiral staircase where Arturia was waiting.

Gilgamesh stood a little stunned at her actions and his cheeks suddenly felt warm.

"Don't you fucking tell me! Oh, bloody hell!" Cú Chulainn screamed after he had snaked his way into the crowd of teenagers that had formed a circle around the incident, "I am so dead."

Gilgamesh stood next to the boy that had hurled into the carpet with his arms over his chest.

Cú Chulainn lifted his head from the incident and saw the blonde female he had been going after leaving through the door, "This is just _fucking_ perfect."

* * *

 

Diarmuid was seated at the breakfast table when his phone rang. He answered the call as he continued to play with the left hand of the long-haired female in front of him, "Hello?"

"Mister Ua Duibhne?" A voice came from the other line.

"Yes, you are speaking with him."

"There were several complaints from neighbours yesterday evening about loud music and an over crowded suite. This is simply a warning, there should be no more loud music after twelve in the morning and no more than twenty guests at a time in the suite. If you want to arrange a party, there are party rooms in the building that are designed for this."

"What? My suite? Are you certain?" Diarmuid squeezed the woman's hand causing her to squeak.

"Yes sir, it came from Suite number five."

"Hey!" She mumbled.


	18. School Adventures

On Monday morning the girls walked from their lockers to Jeanne's class—as they usually did. Except, on this particular Autumn morning, the girls had let their eyes settle on what seemed to be a huge crowd of people in the middle of the History classroom. Jeanne turned her head towards her best friend and furrowed her brows, "Do you think it's because of Gil?" She asked.

"Nah, they weren't this excited about it last week." Arturia commented.

"Ah, right." Jeanne gave a nod, "so what's all the fuss about then?"

"The new kid." Both the girls turned their heads around only to see the tall blond boy behind them, "I saw him outside. And he is not a good influence."

Arturia shot him a short glare and then turned her attention back to the crowd, if she was tall enough she would be able to see the new student. But to her misfortune, she was much too short.

Arturia walked with Jeanne to her seat and they began to speak about other things that were unrelated to the new kid. Most of the talk was about the television show that they were both watching on a regular basis each week and the rest was about what other classes had in store for them.

It wasn't long before the last warning bell rang and Arturia waved her friend goodbye before she ran off to her respective classroom—Business to be exact.

Jeanne's teacher walked in with a smile on her decorated red lips and set her papers down on the desk, "Settle down, class, I know you're all exited for history," she was clearly being sarcastic because she had noticed the clump of people in the middle of her class, "but I have some announcements first." She stated plainly and the students slowly started to disperse to their seats.

Jeanne looked at the teacher intently and had even forgotten about the new student, that was until the teacher had called them up.

"Well, we have a new student everyone, come on up, boy. Introduce yourself and say something you like." She signalled at him and Jeanne could hear the shuffling from behind her.

The new student passed her by and it wasn't until she saw the long blue pony tail that her violet eyes doubled in size and she gasped considerably loudly. _This has to be a joke, there is no way on earth that he is here!_

"Hey there," the man had turned around and waved a hand, "My name is Cú Chulainn and I like…" he though about it and then his eyes landed on the blonde female. He smiled, surprised to see that she was in his class right off the bat, "Jeanne." A mischievous smile grew on his lips.

The entire class had looked at the female with wide eyes and shocked expressions until the boy at the front of the class cleared his throat, "I didn't mean that I liked Jeanne, I just recognized her. I actually like rugby, I guess."

The class let out a sigh simultaneously and Jeanne felt sort of offended because it seemed more like they were surprised that it was her—as if she was ugly or something. The teacher gave him an option to sit wherever there was a space and since Gilgamesh was no longer sitting with Jeanne, there was a space conveniently next to her and of course, Cú Chulainn had asked if he could sit there.

"Jeanne, would you mind?" Her teacher tilted her head to the right.

"Yes." Jeanne nodded rapidly, "I do m—"

"You're so sweet, Jeanne." The woman gave a smile and pushed Cú Chulainn closer to the desk.

As Cú Chulainn took his seat, Jeanne slowly let her head drop onto her textbook—this was not happening to her. She took a deep breath and sighed as the teacher began her lesson. She never thought that the man next to her would be every where she turned.

"I swear, I am not stalking you, darling." She heard the boy that was seated promptly next to her whisper.

It was a darn long history class for the poor French girls as she was not impressed with what the day had had in store for her, "What lunch do you have?" Cú Chulainn snapped her out of her thoughts.

She lifted her head from her textbook and straightened her back as she blinked at him, "Cú Chulainn, it's nice that you want to befriend me, but we're in the middle of class and I need to pay attention." She mumbled a little over a whisper.

The blue-haired Irish boy grinned, "You only have to say a single letter, Jeanne."

Jeanne nodded and leaned back on her seat, "I have third off."

The grin on the boy grew a little more and he leaned his head on his hand as he stretched out on the desk, "Perfect, maybe you could show me around then." One of his red eyes disappeared behind a wink before he slowly directed his head back to the teacher.

They were unable to share any further conversations as the teacher had continued her lesson and done so until the last minute of class. Jeanne had begun to pack her things and was ready to leave the classroom when a hand on her wrist had stopped her. She turned about and her eyes landed on Cú Chulainn.

"Mind if I walk you to your next class?"

Jeanne bit her lower lip and tried to think about it, but her mind was blank.

"Come on, let's go." He had a bright smile on his lips and he pulled her by the arm, "What other courses do you have?" He asked as they walked through the crowded hallways.

"You're currently walking me to Gym class. Then, I have Chemistry at the end of the day." She answered courtly.

"So you work a part-time job, right? Is it because your parents want you to have a taste of the poor life or do you just want to make money on the side?"

"There's no need for a taste of the 'poor life', I apologize for disappointing you," Jeanne pulled the door to the first floor open, "but I live it. I'm attending Fate Academy through a scholarship program that I excelled at, is it bad to be poor or work a part-time job or something?" She raised an eyebrow and blinked at him as they had continued to walk down towards the big gym that the fine private school had to offer.

Jeanne turned to look towards the now silent boy and noted that Cú Chulainn was beet red and opened his mouth slowly, "Uh, sorry. I thought you might have been the daughter of a company owner or something… Sorry."

"What about you, do your parents want you to 'taste the poor life'?" She tilted her head to her right, "Or are you just another Gilgamesh?"

"I don't know who this Gilgamesh might be, but I'm sure I'm nothing like him." Cú Chulainn chuckled as they had arrived at the Gym doors, "Plus, I'm not the heir of the company, it's my sister and my older brother that have most of the inheritance. I'm still just a high school student."

"Where are you heading off to next?" Jeanne extended her hand, "Let me see your time table."

Cú Chulainn reached into his blazer pocket and fished out his timetable before handing it over to her, "Physics." He answered.

Jeanne glanced at his schedule and furrowed her brows, "So you walked me from the third floor down to the first and are expecting to make it on time to your third floor class in less than a minute?"

Cú Chulainn winked at her and gave a two fingered salute, "I'll see you at lunch then," he smirked before turning around, "Bye." She watched as he disappeared behind the doors of another staircase in a flash.

Jeanne shook her head and sighed, "He is everywhere."

Lunch came around after Jeanne's hard core gym class and she was already dying to fill her stomach. Jeanne had quite a bit of aspirations and she was hoping to go to France to join the military and serve as a Biochemist as well, she was having high hopes, but Arturia always assured her and encouraged her.

"Yeah, I saw the new kid at the party!" Arturia nodded as she spoke with Guinevere. Jeanne sat down next to her best friend in silence and searched her bag for the food that she had made in the morning.

"I think his name is Cú Chulainn, right?" Guinevere asked as she dug her fork into a Caesar salad.

Jeanne furrowed her brows, "Wait, Cú was at the party?" She lifted her head from her boxed lunch and looked at the blond female next to her.

Arturia slowly nodded, "Yeah, he was the one that saw me snooping about, almost caught me too." She answered plainly, "I was a little embarrassed to have him in Physics with me."

"Wait! He was at the party too? Oh my gosh! And he says he isn't stalking me." Jeanne grumbled under her breath.

"Woah, you knew him before the party? You know, he was the one who threw it." Guinevere had a smirk on her lips, "So, how did you two meet?"

Jeanne grumbled again, "Ugh, he offered to buy me a coffee back at Black Horse"—the coffee shop she usually sat at—"and then he wanted to buy cigarettes at my part-time. And then, and then, he sat next to me in class after telling everyone that he liked me!" The French girl sighed in defeat and dropped her head, "I hate this."

"Ooohhh! That's so cute! I bet two hundred dollars that Jeanne and Cú are going to get together by the end of the year." Guinevere clapped her hands together.

Arturia crossed her arms, "I bet two-fifty that she won't end up with him." She leaned on the table.

"I second it!" Lancelot threw in an offer.

Everyone looked at Gawain and he gave a sigh, "I don't think so. I bet sixty that she will go to prom with him. What I mean is, they won't date until after the school year."

"Okay, but that's too far ahead, we'll make that bet later." Guinevere shook her head, "So you think they'll be together?"

"Um… nope. Three hundred they won't."

Jeanne groaned, "Guys, stop gambling over something so ridiculous. I won't end up with him and I bet five hundred."

Arturia turned to her, her green eyes like saucers and her jaw dropped a little, "Five hundred dollars? Do you have that much?"

"Five hundred cents…" Jeanne pouted, "You guys were all saying high numbers I felt left out… So my bet is five dollars."

Guinevere's smile grew, "Aw, everyone's against me. Well, I'll just get richer." She shrugged, and fixed her tie.

Jeanne rolled her eyes and just continued to eat her food as her friends kept going on about the bet and other stuff that rich kids usually talked about. Jeanne had tried to understand them before but there were things she could never understand of that world. It wasn't long before she was interrupted by a tap on her shoulder. Jeanne turned her head about, looking over her shoulder, and saw the tall blue-haired boy behind her, huddled by a bunch of people.

"Are these your friends?" Cú Chulainn asked, his lips widening so that he drew another smirk on them.

The blonde girl blinked up at him and nodded, "Yes."

"Mind if I sit with you?" His head tilted a little to the side, his low pony tail sliding off his shoulder.

Jeanne looked over at Arturia and she gave a soft shrug, then her gaze fell on Guinevere and Lancelot.

Lancelot shrugged his shoulders and rubbed the back of his neck, "As long as it isn't with those people…" He spoke as he looked over at the crowd behind Cú Chulainn.

Cú Chulainn nodded and he turned back to the crowd, "Sorry, but I had prior engagements with this lovely lass."

Some of the girls that had been following him around sighed in defeat while the guys just waved him goodbye. It was a good thing that they had listened to him because sometimes people would follow the new students around for a long time.

The Irishman sat down next to Jeanne and he could see the wide grin on Guinevere's lips, "Is there something funny?" He asked, one of his eyebrows lifting slightly.

Guinevere shook a hand in front of herself as well as her head, "Oh no, it's not that. I'm just happy to be making a friend, that's all."

Cú Chulainn gave a nod before turning his attention back to the short blonde girl next to him, "Aren't you going to introduce me, Jeanne?" He joked a little and then turned towards the other students, "I'm Cú Chulainn, nice to meet you all."

Jeanne pointed at Arturia first and began to introduce her friends, "This is Arturia, Gawain at the far end there, Guinevere across," the brunette waved, "and Lancelot."

The new boy smiled at the people and then looked back at Jeanne, "I think I saw Guinevere and Arturia at the party on Saturday, right?"

Arturia's eyes grew wide and she immediately found her food much more interesting than the conversation.

"Yup! We were definitely there," Guinevere chirped up like a bird, "It was a wicked party too."

"Up until that guy almost puke on me. It was a nice carpet though, I must admit." Jeanne added, "But the view was great."

"Wasn't it?" Guinevere smiled brightly, "I wish I could see it every day." She sighed.

"Well," Cú Chulainn laughed, "I'm not going to have a party every day, sadly." He looked up and it seemed like his red eyes locked on someone beyond Guinevere, "Aw _shit_." He breathed, "Sorry guys, I have to go now. I'll have to take a rain check on the school tour, sweetheart." He turned towards Jeanne and winked at her before getting off from his seat and making a break for it.

It wasn't until the five students saw another flash of a person running past them and after Cú Chulainn—it was the chemistry teacher. Diarmuid was at a high speed chase after Cú Chulainn who bolted through the doors.

* * *

 

Diarmuid landed his eyes upon the blue-haired boy that sat amidst five other students in one of the far corners of the cafeteria. He loosened his pine green tie and was thankful he had not brought his blazer for lunch duty as he unbuttoned the top button of his white dress shirt along with the cuffs. Slowly rolling the sleeves up, he was spotted by the blue-haired boy and it seemed that the male had mumbled something before he abruptly stood.

Diarmuid pulled his shirt out a little so that he would be able to run after the kid that was saying his farewells. Once the boy started making a break for it, Diarmuid hurried after him. He ran past the group of students that Cú Chulainn had been sitting with, but he paid no heed as he followed him out the cafeteria doors and down the hall.

The hallway was moderately scattered with students trying to fit their books in their lockers or just loitering about, and the blue haired male had the advantage as he would be able to block Diarmuid's path with the occasional student. Cú Chulainn was sprinting down the hallway, pulling other teenagers closer so that his pursuer would have a harder time keeping up with him. He almost slid as he turned the corner and bolted through a pair of doors and then the up stair case.

Diarmuid was completely furious by now, he had to dodge students and objects that had been on the floor—well, if it was a student, he would try to help them up. By the time he made it to the stairs, he heard the top floor door open and he silently cursed himself. The teacher lifted his arms in the air and let his hands rest atop his head as he took a deep breath, "You are going to get it." He mumbled under his breath, still keeping his eyes on the stairs.

The Irishman stood there as he caught his breath and decided to continue his pursuit after the younger male, he had probably stopped to flirt with a girl or two after he had noticed that the teacher had not followed him. Diarmuid took his time going up the stairs, it was getting closer to the end of the first lunch and the boy was most likely nearing his next class—Mathematics.

Just as Diarmuid had predicted, Cú Chulainn was speaking with a girl by his Mathematics class; probably hoping to get her number or something. Silently sneaking up behind him, Diarmuid took hold of Cú Chulainn's pony tail and pulled him down—the girl he was talking to had her blue eyes like saucers.

Cú Chulainn yelped as the other male pulled on his hair and then he tried to struggle from the grip, "Let go," he hissed between clenched teeth.

"We have to talk." Diarmuid pulled the pony tail a little harder as he dragged the boy down the hallway.

"B-But class is about to start, isn't it?" Cú Chulainn argued, hoping that the teacher would let his hair go.

Diarmuid shrugged, "I can excuse you."

The red-eyed male shook his head, "Okay, just let me go; I'll follow you."

A shrug from the Chemistry teacher's shoulders, "You best," he spoke before loosening his grip on the blue pony tail.

Cú Chulainn stood straight and dusted his uniform for no apparent reason before smiling, "Thanks," he grinned and then, with another smirk, he made a break for it again. There was no way he wanted to get in trouble at the moment.

Diarmuid groaned before racing after the student for the second time in less than twenty minutes. This time, however, Diarmuid sprinted to the best of his ability and was able to catch up to Cú Chulainn and swing an arm around his neck to bring him into a choke hold, "Talk. Now." He took a deep breath as the running had tired him out a little bit. He dragged the boy—still in a chokehold—to the nearest empty classroom as the hallway filled with students stared at them in shock.

Cú Chulainn grunted, "Okay, okay, can you let go now?" He furrowed his brows and coughed for a short while, "I get it."

Diarmuid let go of the younger male and then proceeded to cross his arms over his chest, "I think I've told you many times, haven't I?" His eyes held disappointment as his lips were pursed in a straight line, "Do you ever listen to me?"

"Okay, I know that the party was a—"

"Do not even get me started on that right now. I'm talking about this morning, by the electricity box on the sidewalk. I've heard my fair share of rumors and most of them seem to be the same." He leaned on a desk, "Why were you smoking? You know, it is prohibited to smoke on school property; the penalty is expulsion."

Cú Chulainn rolled his eyes, " _That_. Is that what you wanted to talk about? I thought it was something important."

"That is important. I thought I told you to stop, what are you doing still smoking? It's been a year, for goodness' sake, you're just seventeen don't be stupid."

"Yeah, whatever, leave me alone," the blue-haired male waved his hand as to dismiss the issue and headed for the door before the other male stopped him.

"Cú Chulainn, I think that I have been very clear with you. Your behaviour is driving me insane, you need to stop this ridiculous rebellious phase. Why do you think I had to transfer you?" Diarmuid was quite furious with the boy before him at this point, "Father had had enough, Cú, that's why I brought you with me. Scáthach was very upset with you because she had taught you better than to cause trouble at school and at home. You know, she hadn't even known you smoked until we went to finalize your transfer this weekend."

"Whatever." Cú Chulainn grumbled, "Let me get to my stupid class now."

"This is your last year of high school, try to act like you care. And when we get home, we'll discuss the party stuff because I still haven't gone to see what chaos awaits me." He had arrived an hour before school had started so there was no time to check out the suite before having to attend his class.

Cú Chulainn rolled his eyes again and then pushed Diarmuid aside before exiting the empty classroom and heading off to Mathematics. Diarmuid left the classroom a little later and then proceeded back to the cafeteria to continue his lunch duty.

Jeanne and Arturia walked with their friends to their next classes and after Gawain and Lancelot had been dropped off, they followed Guinevere to her Creative writing class. The brunette loved the writing industry, in fact her father was the C.E.O of a famous publishing firm and Guinevere was club president of the school Newspaper and yearbook committee. She knew everything that was happening at school; who was dating whom, who was having a party (hence the reason she knew of Cú Chulainn's), and who had beef with whom. She knew absolutely any gossip that was remotely important or scandalous.

Guinevere was currently scrolling through her phone and checking up on anything that she would find interesting about anyone. She usually used the applications Chirp* or Oh Deer* to find out what people were up to, and Excalibur* just to pass her time.

"What are you up to?" Arturia took a peak of Guinevere's phone to see what she was currently reading.

"Checking up on what happened with Mister Hottie and Cú," Guinevere grinned as she scrolled down a bit more. She gasped and clicked on something before showing it to her friends, "Lo and behold! Got what I wanted."

Arturia and Jeanne saw a picture taken by a student of Diarmuid holding Cú Chulainn in a chokehold, "You are not going to have this on the newspaper, right?" Arturia commented as she furrowed her brows. She felt a little uneasy at the sight of Diarmuid; she was still upset with him and her heart felt as if it was being squished. The blonde gulped and let her gaze lift from the picture of the teacher to her brunette friend.

"Oh, god no. The principal would expel me; this is going on my blog." Whatever Guinevere knew she could not get away with on the school news, it was going to be up on her blog of which she advertised on the paper anyways. Half of the school read her blog because people loved their gossip and Guinevere was the go-to person for that.

Jeanne tilted her head slightly, "Why do you think Mister Ua was chasing him around?" She mumbled under her breath as she continued walking after the other females, come to think of it, there was no way that Cú Chulainn was already in trouble with Diarmuid, considering he was a hard person to piss off.

Guinevere shrugged, "Beats me, but whatever it was it will be up on my blog by tomorrow night the latest so keep being posted!" She winked just as they had arrived at her classroom, "And don't you dare miss it, I have a hunch it's going to be good—as always." She bid her friends a farewell and then disappeared into her class.

Last period had come faster than expected and the two blonde girls made their way to their chemistry class, Arturia feeling very queasy and sick as she was not in the mood to lock eyes with the man that had clearly rejected her. She sat down in her seat and made sure that the teacher was not there before she slowly pulled out her textbook and kept her eye on her best friend as she talked about the homework that they had done for the weekend.

Diarmuid entered the classroom and his eyes locked with Arturia's for a millisecond before he turned his head and quickly began with attendance. Most of the students were in class and he gave the attendance sheet to a volunteer who headed down to put it in the drop box. He began his lesson by asking if they had had any trouble with the homework that had been assigned to them during the weekend and a girl lifted her hand.

"I have a question," a female with black hair called out, trying to gather up all her courage after she had noticed that Grainne was not there.

Diarmuid nodded, "Alright."

The female gulped as she was ready to land in detention, "Is it true you went to Ireland? There's a rumour going around that you left for the weekend, why so?"

The teacher sighed and crossed his arms over his chest, "I did go to Ireland, and it was for family matters, that is all I am willing to say. This is my private life, and as far as I am concerned, you need not know of it."

The bell rang at the end of the day and the students all gathered their books but he called onto a few people, including Arturia to stay behind, "Absent slips," he commanded and some students presented him with the papers, save for a boy and Arturia.

The rest of the students were dismissed and Diarmuid gave a short lecture before he sent Arturia and the other student on their way. The brunet left the class quickly, and Arturia was opening the door but was soon stopped by the teacher's voice, "Can I talk to you for a minute, Pendragon?"

Arturia silently cursed herself before she saw Jeanne on the other side of the door with a thumbs up, as if telling her that she was keeping an eye out for her, "What do you want to talk about?"

"I want to clarify about what happened last Wednesday…" He mumbled, trying his best not to sound intimidated.

Arturia turned around and sat down at the desk closest to the demonstration bench where the male stood, "You better thank Jeanne because she's the only reason I'm giving you a chance to explain yourself." Arturia had had five days to cool her head and Jeanne had encouraged her to hear him out if he had asked for it. It had taken Jeanne a lot of convincing, but she had succeeded at the end.

Diarmuid took a deep breath before he began, "Grainne and I have known each other since last fall. My uncle, Fionn, is her betrothed and the first time he met her I had to be dragged along…"

_Grainne sat at her couch next to her father as she heard the maid open the door. Her father had found her a suitor and she was crossing her fingers that he was good looking and a good man but her father had said he was the CEO of some engineering company and owned shares in the Irish security company called Fianna—which he had sold off to a good friend of his for a really good price._

_Since her father was the owner of Airt; a Casino industry, he wanted more Casinos built and it would be a bright idea to have his daughter marry into a family that could make him buildings for a cheaper price, and keep his family in business._

_Grainne sat back on the couch and waited for the male to arrive. When the maid led in a beautiful young man, Grainne had almost jumped on one foot in excitement. Gorgeous amber eyes and a beauty mark below one of them, gosh, Grainne had never believed in love at first sight until this instant when her heart skipped a beat._

_Another man followed after the beautiful one, one much taller and gruffer. Dark orbs and hair as the night; he was handsome for an older male, but nothing compared to younger male who seemed to be the most handsome man on the planet._

_Cormac stood and greeted the older male first and then the younger one. Grainne quickly learned that the gorgeous one was Diarmuid and Fionn, the other. She greeted them both with a bright smile on her red lips._

_Cormac gave a smile after seeing that his daughter was very satisfied with her suitor, "Well, Fionn, this is my third daughter, Grainne; she is a very educated and lovely young lady."_

_Fionn chuckled and nodded, "I have no doubt in that, thank you. I also hope that you do not mind that I brought my nephew along. He's the only one that lives around here."_

" _Oh, that is not a problem." Cormac nodded as they all took a seat on the couches again, "What are you doing right now, Diarmuid?"_

" _I have just finished my Bachelor of Science and Business. I plan on becoming a teacher for the time being until my father decides that it is time to share the company duties with my older sister."_

" _That's quite nice, doing something for the children, right?" Cormac laughed, "And how are you Fionn's nephew? He is just a few years older than you." Grainne's father was right, Fionn was only three years older than Diarmuid._

" _Adoptive nephew, it is quite complicated when you look at the family tree. Simply put, he is my adoptive Nephew." Fionn grinned, "Fine young man, isn't he?"_

_Cormac nodded, "Quite so," he smiled, "What company does your father own, Diarmuid?"_

" _My adoptive father, Aengus, owns Fianna Corporation." Diarmuid answered and that was when Grainne noticed that she was actually intended to marry Fionn and not Diarmuid. Her smile immediately dropped and she turned her head towards her father with a confused look in her eyes._

" _And do you know of your real father?"_

_Diarmuid bit his lower lip and nodded, "I am the son of Donn."_

" _Donn? Well, you must be very wealthy." Cormac commented; Donn was the wealthiest business man in Ireland. He basically owned the economy there and he was quite famous for being ruthless that people called him '_ The King of the Underworld _', but he was very respected, "Will you be inheriting Donn's fortune?"_

" _My paternal father and I do not have good connections and thus I disagree that I will inheriting his assets." The poor amber-eyed male was already feeling uncomfortable with the conversation._

" _What kind of teacher do you want to become?" Grainne thought it best to ask for she would probably start taking that course just for him._

" _Chemistry," Diarmuid answered, glad that she was not poking into his wealth, "Although, right now I am tutoring high school students."_

_Grainne grinned, "Aw, that's so sweet!" She acted like a little girl looking upon a toy, and then turned to her father, landing a hand on his forearm, "Daddy, can I keep him, he's so cute; like a doll." She was Daddy's little girl and she knew whatever she asked for, her father would give it to her._

" _Sweetie," her father almost shook his head before she stopped him._

" _He can be my escort or Chaperon. Daddy, please?" She did her famous puppy dog eyes and then her father gave in._

" _Of course, darling, whatever it is you want." He said and she heard Fionn chuckle a little._

_She clapped her hands cutely and acted a little more like a small child so her father could not see through her act._

"That was how I was basically forced to follow her around for a few months…" Diarmuid grumbled, "I quit right after she forced a kiss on me during Christmas because we were standing under a mistletoe. I hadn't seen her for a little over half a year until I came here."

Arturia bit her lower lip and slowly nodded, "So you didn't kiss her, or do anything with her while we were together?"

Diarmuid shook his head, "I would never."

"Well," Arturia stood from the seat, a little confused after hearing the entire story—of course he had not told her every little detail, "If that is all, I will go now."

"Wait, Arturia, I… I have something else that I need to tell you." He walked towards her and stood quite close to her.

She noticed his cheeks were tinted red and it seemed that he was nervous because his eyes were not locked with hers, "Yes?" She tried not to expect much—Jeanne had warned her.

"I've thought about it, over and over while I was in Ireland with Scáthach; she gave me some advice and… well…" He was beet red by now, even his ears were pink and it caused her heart to flutter a little, the pain leaving her slowly after she had heard his explanation.

"I really… I—" He was stopped by loud bickering and then two teenagers stumbled in.

One of them yelped as she was falling but was caught by the male before she hit the floor, "Careful there, princess."

"You're the one that opened the door! I told you to stop it! I almost died." Jeanne was scolding the blue-haired man that was holding her tightly in his arms before he helped her up fully, "You're so stubborn."

"So what are you then?" He winked, "You are beyond stubborn."

Jeanne punched his arm and it wasn't until Arturia cleared her throat that the two teenagers looked at their audience and Jeanne turned red.

"Oh!" Cú Chulainn nodded but then furrowed his brows, why had Jeanne been so protective over the door if it was just Diarmuid talking with Arturia. _Arturia… that sounds very familiar, I just can't place—_ "No way! Arturia? I know now! You looked so familiar and you name is so unique; how could I have missed it all this time?" Cú Chulainn's eyes were wide and Diarmuid felt choked for he had told his brother about Arturia during the summer he had spent with him, "You're the daughter of Uther Pendragon, right? You were the Adolescent Fencing World Champion for three years? The one that just up and disappeared like two years ago?" Diarmuid felt his heart settle as he let out a heavy sigh while Cú Chulainn continued, "Man! I used to watch your tournaments all the time, you were so skilled! I would have never thought you'd be here. Wow. Your father owns the Royal Bank of Camelot? Right? And Pendragon Corporation too!"

Jeanne was quite confused, "Do you stalk her too?" She furrowed her brows as she was a bit irritated for a reason she did not know.

Cú Chulainn chuckled, "Not exactly, they always talk about the fencer's back story before they get to the podium and I've heard it like a thousand times. She's very respected in the world of fencing; Arturia is basically a hero. Her nick name is Saber since she is basically the master of the sabre."

Arturia stood awkwardly and furrowed her brows, "Uh…"

Jeanne burst into laughter, "Artie, you have a fan."

Cú Chulainn gave a smile before he turned to Diarmuid, "Can we go home now, I am super hungry. You better make me a good lunch because I couldn't eat, thanks to you."

Both the females looked between Diarmuid and Cú Chulainn with questioning looks on their faces, "What?" Arturia decided to speak up.

"Oh, Dia's my big bro." Cú Chulainn answered her confusion, "And he owes me lunch!" He jokingly glared at his older brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~Author's Note~
> 
> These are the Apps that Guinevere uses ;)
> 
> *Chirp= Twitter (Obviously)
> 
> *Oh Deer= Yik Yak
> 
> *Excalibur= Tumblr
> 
> What App do you guys use more often? I'm more of an Excalibur fan haha.
> 
> Sincerely,
> 
> ~MsAtomicBomb


	19. It's a Deal, Then

Cú Chulainn sighed as he entered Diarmuid's car. He carefully pulled the seatbelt over himself after having shoved his backpack into the back seat. Now that the day was getting old, the sun was hoping to set soon for winter was starting to scare it away. The young man watched as his older brother stepped into the car and turned it on, cranking up the heat a little more. The blue haired male connected his phone to the car and began to blast a random rock song.

Diarmuid let out a deep breath and lowered the music using the buttons on the steering wheel, but Cú brought the music back up again. This happened a few more times before Cú Chulainn gave up and let out a loud sigh, "What, just let me put my songs," he growled, "You always get to put on that classical stuff."

"How was your first day of school? Save for the part I almost tackled you down." Diarmuid thought to ask because it was much better to hear his brother talk instead of other students.

"Ugh," Cú Chulainn threw his head back, "Ugh! Don't even get me started! I messed up. Like who even likes Rugby? I meant Lacrosse… Jeanne had just distracted me. I basically looked like an idiot in front of the entire class."

"Hey," Diarmuid called, "rugby's cool."

"Yeah, but I didn't mean that."

"I see you've become quick friends with Jeanne… Don't hang around her too much, she's my best student—I don't want you influencing her otherwise." He flickered his gaze to his brother as they left the parking lot.

Cú Chulainn chuckled and shook his head, "Is that a challenge?"

"Cú Chulainn…"

"We're going to end up together. Plus, we met last week, she's quite hard working."

Diarmuid did not even question his brother with the beginning of his statement, "Yes, she's the best student in the school, that's why I don't want you messing her up."

"So," Cú Chulainn blinked, "that's Arturia, huh?"

Diarmuid shot his head towards his brother, keeping his lips pursed, trying not to look too surprised, "Hn?"

"I thought she would have been taller or something. I don't know, just thought she was a decent height, right?" The red-eyed boy looked over at his brother.

Diarmuid shrugged, noticing that his brother was just going on about the fact that she was a fencer, "I did not know she was so famous…"

"Damn sure you didn't, or else you would know that she was under-aged when you were dating her. Or rather, I hope you didn't know she was a high schooler." He blinked again, not paying attention to the older male. Cú Chulainn then chuckled a little, "Did you really think I wouldn't notice? You had gone on and on about it near the end of the summer and you expected me to forget? I actually wouldn't have noticed that it was her if it wasn't for Jeanne guarding the door like the three headed hound; it was as if her life depended on it."

Diarmuid gulped and turned his head so he could see the sly smirk on his younger brother's face, "What? Do you plan on reporting me or something?"

"Nah, wouldn't even dream of it. Just saying that you're going to get in trouble when someone finds out."

The teacher gripped the steering wheel tighter, his knuckles turning white, "Then what do you want?"

"I want you to stop bothering me about my smoking habit; that's all." Cú Chulainn was stretching his legs so that his feet would be held up by the car's dashboard but her heard a noise of disapproval by the male next to him.

"Feet off the dashboard, this is my car, Cú," Diarmuid warned, shooting the other male a short glare, "This is different. First off, there is nothing happening between Arturia and I as of now and smoking is a different matter entirely."

Cú rolled his red eyes, "No it isn't. Plus, the way you were looking at her didn't seem to me like there was nothing, and you were red when Jeanne and I stumbled in. Anyways, Arturia isn't good for you and cigarettes aren't good for me either, so main point we don't bother each other about these things."

"I disagree. Unlike you, I have nothing to do with Arturia but you have everything to do with smoking."

"Right, well just wait a week or two for it and then we'll settle on the final verdict." The younger of the two crossed his arms over his chest, "Anyway, what are you going to make me? I want something really good."

* * *

 

Wednesday arrived sooner than expected, answering the questions of all those who wondered where Grainne had been since the past Friday. The brunette came back with sun kissed skin and red lips; she had said that she was at a photoshoot in Australia for her mother's new collection. Since the vibrant tan had been her alibi, no one thought to question her any further.

Grainne was seated at her usual seat during lunch, surrounded by the many other popular girls that had wanted to get closer to her because everyone knew that if one wanted to become a model, being friends with the daughter of the famous designer Eerie was the way to do it. Most of Grainne's closest friends were models for her mother and that also meant that she chose her friends wisely.

A call of her name made the brunette turn her head, her hair cascading over her shoulder and hanging to her waist, "Yes?" Her decorated lips parted for the simple word as she blinked dark eyelashes.

A blond boy stood before her and she was smart enough to know he was basically the richest boy in the school. His tie was loose and he seemed to have a look of irritation on his features—as he usually did. That look could be described as if he was looking down a someone with a lower status, "Gilgamesh… What do you want?" She wasn't afraid to be sassy with him, he was a thorn in her side anyways.

"Grainne. I heard some very interesting things about your Fiancé and his nephew. I think we might have some business to discuss." Gilgamesh smirked and crossed his arms over his chest. Today, he had his hair styled up wards like golden flames and earrings matching his hair dangling from each ear.

Grainne rolled her brown orbs and she slipped from the table, "One sec, girls." She smiled at her friends and followed Gilgamesh out of the cafeteria so that they could speak in private—he had caught her attention when she heard him mention her beloved teacher, "What is it?" She leaned on one knee and let one of her hips dip as she looked down at her fingernails.

"I have a reason to believe that you will accept my proposition." Gilgamesh spoke, irked by the fact that Grainne was being too insensitive.

A styled eyebrow lifted, "And what might that be?"

The blond crossed his arms over his chest and began, "You are basically boiling in your seat just thinking about the Chemistry teacher—now, I know you love him or something, and I don't care. I simply think it would be beneficial to have you on my team."

"Your team?" Grainne scoffed as she rolled her eyes, "Are we going to join the track team now? Or do a three-legged race?" She let a giggle fall from the gap between her red lips as she twirled her hair.

"Are you going to be irritating? Because I truly don't need you, you need me." Gilgamesh purposed an Ultimatum and the girl before him glared him down.

She pushed her hair behind her ear and sighed, "What do you want?"

"I think that your beloved teacher is sneaking around with another student… My girlfriend to be exact. And I want to catch them." He was finally being clear. Although it was a suspicion, he was starting to believe it a little more because he had seen Jeanne guarding the door and bickering with Cú Chulainn so as to not let him pass. She had been so damn determined that it had looked sketchy.

Grainne grit her teeth, "As if he would turn me down for that flat chested, ugly, basic bitch." She rolled her eyes again, "Not even in her dreams, Gilgamesh."

"I'd prefer it if you stop trash-talking my girlfriend." Gilgamesh blinked, "I'm not so forgiving."

The Irishwoman waved her hand, "Whatever, you know I'm much prettier than that snake."

He furrowed his brows and shook his head, suppressing a chuckle that threatened to slip, "You're quite ugly. I don't see much appeal to you since you have to hide your imperfections with that cake face."

Grainne gasped, "Excuse me?" She held a hand close to her chest for she felt offended, "Did you just—"

"Yes, now, do you want to team up with me or not. This would be beneficial both for me and you, so tell me if you want in." The rich and snobby school prince took a deep breath, trying not to loose his temper with the female before him.

"Do you think I need you? I can find it all out on my own. Plus, I highly doubt he's sneaking about with Arturia of all people." The female was not convinced at all, and it would take her a lot of proof to be.

Gilgamesh simply shrugged, "Suit yourself, but there is a lot of evidence that I already have and you will never get. You see, I've noticed from the start and I will always be a step ahead of you, but if we work together; all this information will be disposable to you and all of your little heart's desires. I know all about you and that teacher," a lie, "and I won't think twice about spilling it to your wealthy fiancé."

Grainne's eyes widened, "You cannot tell Fionn a single thing, do you understand?" She knew very much what would happen if her father and Fionn found out that she had been pursuing the handsome man behind their backs. It scared her thinking of what would happen to Diarmuid if they knew about the kiss they had shared, "You wouldn't even dare."

Gilgamesh shrugged, "I wouldn't try me if I were you, my dear. So, do you want to help me out or not?"

"Do I even have a choice?" Grainne glared at the young man before her, "I'll do it. In the condition that if Diarmuid and I get together in the end you will not tell a single soul, got it? Or else I will definitely ruin you."

The prince of the school simply chuckled and nodded, "Perfect." He stretched out his hand to offer it to her, "Do we have a deal then?" He had a sly smirk on his face—he always got what he wanted.

Grainne took his hand and shook it, "Deal." She squeezed his hand and dug her nails into the back of it as a warning, "You dare snake me and I will not even think twice before stabbing you in the back."

"Planning to pull a Brutus are we now?" Gilgamesh laughed a little.

"Not if you plan on acting more like Julius Caesar." She gave a chide remark before turning on her heel, "If that is all, I am leaving now."

"Oh, Grainne," Gilgamesh called after her and it caused her to turn her upper body towards him.

"What?" Her eyebrows were furrowed and she looked greatly pissed by this point, Gilgamesh was not a fun person to talk to, in fact, he was a royal pain in the ass—if one had to also describe his snobby prince-like behaviour.

"I hope you have a lot of free time soon; I plan to solve this in the next two weeks or so." He gave one last smirk before the female turned around and ducked back into the cafeteria.


	20. Anything for your Best Friend

Friday morning was no exception for Cú Chulainn to walk Jeanne to class. He had been doing so for five days straight now, and he was also sitting with Jeanne and her friends during lunch, which was when he learned about Guinevere's love for gossip and Lancelot's silence. Today, he offered to hold Jeanne's books for her and she finally give in after refusing him for three days straight. He held her history and chemistry books in one arm, the one he had his bag strap around, while the other was used to explain something he had seen on the television the night before.

Jeanne was nodding her head a little, her mind not exactly in place as she was thinking about what Arturia had told her happened between her and the teacher that Monday afternoon that the boy beside her had decided to ruin.

"Earth to Jeanne, lass, are you there?" Cú Chulainn was waving his hand in front of her face and she snapped out of her trance.

She blinked violet eyes for a short while and nodded, "I was thinking about the project that's coming up." She lied as they descended the stairs to get to her second period class.

"Ah," Cú Chulainn grinned, "Are you going to come over then?" He winked—they had been paired up because the teacher had told Jeanne to 'help' the new kid since she was the school's vice-president—"You already know where I live, babe."

Jeanne rolled her eyes, "Sure." She shook her head, "Anyway, Cú, speaking about the project what do you want to focus on? I was thinking the War of the Roses or—"

"Hundred Years' War; I want to focus on that." He answered her, but cut her off in the middle of her sentence.

"Okay, then," she blinked, "English side or French side?"

"French, obviously," the male chuckled, "plus it would help me with French class; I could read some article in French or something."

"You're taking French?" Her eyes widened and she looked at him a little stunned, had she said something in French while he was around? Hopefully not.

"I'm just learning," he smiled, "Hopefully I can get good at it."

Silence filled the space between them as they neared Jeanne's next class. She had already explained that every Thursday and Friday, her class had access to the pool and so he was walking her in another direction and not to the gym, "Oh," Cú Chulainn had been thinking about how Jeanne had protected the door on Monday and so he thought he would mention it, "I know about what's up between my bro and Arturia."

"What?" Jeanne turned to look at the boy as they got to the pool's changing rooms, "What are you talking about?"

The blue-haired male chuckled and pat Jeanne's head, "Jeanne, please," he gave her a smug look, "it's obvious that they like each other." He then waved her goodbye and sped to his class so that he would not arrive late as was happening.

Jeanne stood in shock at how fast the boy had gotten it; she was beyond amazed. Until she noticed, "Cú Chulainn! My books!" She called after him but it seemed like he had not heard her for he kept on running down the hallway.

Jeanne sighed in defeat and pushed the female change room's door open. The warm up was not as hard as she had expected and so she was able to let her mind wander a little. Cú Chulainn had not seem so opposed to Arturia and Diarmuid, which meant that this could be advantageous. Now that she had someone that could convince Diarmuid, Jeanne could set something up.

The blond female fixed her goggles before slipping back into the water and continuing her two-hundred-meter front crawl and letting the cool water sooth her muscles. She loved to swim and especially how the world looked from under water; the bubbles and the light as it was filtered through, she loved it all.

Jeanne let her hair go and did not tie it in the braid that she usually held for her arms were much too tired to dry her hair properly and then arrange it in a long braid. Her hair was still damp as she walked to the cafeteria and set her bag on the table that Arturia was already seated at, "Hey," she greeted as she sank to her seat and pulled out her lunch.

"Hey, how was aquatics?" Arturia smiled at her friend.

Jeanne rolled her shoulders, "We swam nearly three K today, and I am dying." She answered.

"So I'm guessing you aren't going to do your homework right now?" Usually Jeanne finished her history homework during lunch so she would only have to worry about Chemistry in the evening.

"We don't have homework this weekend, though I was hoping to read ahead a little but, alas, Cú Chulainn ran off with my books because he was running late." The French female set her head on the lunch table, "I'm so tired…"

Arturia pet her head and smiled, "Don't worry, it's Friday, we'll get to sleep well tonight."

It took a while for the other students to arrive and they all began to chit chat about whatever it was that seemed remotely important. Guinevere wasn't slipping any gossip as she usually did because she said she was going to have a special update on her blog that Sunday and they all had to read it.

Arturia and Guinevere had disappeared to the washroom while Jeanne finished her lunch as Gawain spoke to Lancelot about a fencing match that they had watched the previous evening. Cú Chulainn finally arrived, with Jeanne's books, a little while after. He took a seat next to the blonde female and flashed her a smile, "Sorry I ran off with your books. Wow, your hair looks really nice like that, you look very cute."

Jeanne gulped and placed the books in her back pack so that she wouldn't forget them the next time around. They started to speak a little about the assignment, mainly what they were exactly going to focus on and how they were going to organize the project until Jeanne decided to ask the blue-haired boy a question.

Since the other boys were talking amongst themselves, Jeanne thought that it was the perfect time to ask Cú Chulainn to help her execute her new plan, and so she did, "Cú, you said that you knew about them, right?"

Cú Chulainn chuckled and gave a nod, "Yeah, and?"

"I would need your assistance. You see, I want them to talk and work things out between themselves, and I have been trying to for three months now. But I need someone on his side to convince him, now that you're here, I was hoping you would help me out."

Cú Chulainn sat still for a while and thought about the possible benefits he would obtain from helping the female. First off, Diarmuid would definitely get off his case and—since Jeanne didn't know that—he could bargain a deal with the girl too, "Sure, anything for you, sweetheart."

"Awesome, it's settled then," Jeanne smiled, satisfied with how things had worked out.

"But…" the boy spoke, "you would consider going on a date with me." He grinned; of course there had to be a catch.

The blonde female sighed and ran a hand through her hair, "Alright," she nodded; if it was for her best friend, she would do anything.

"Cool, so what's the plan?" Cú Chulainn winked at Jeanne and she opened her mouth to speak.

* * *

 

It was Saturday afternoon and Jeanne had managed to convince Arturia to go to small family owned coffee shop in the outskirts of the city. Since Jeanne had foreseen a future accident anywhere near the center of the city or any place that seemed even a little popular, Jeanne chose the place further from civilization but still within their city.

The coffee shop was also a partial library and so there were little secluded tables that seated a maximum of four people. Amidst the many wooden shelves of hard cover and paperback books, Jeanne took a seat at a table near a window that over looked the garden beside the establishment. Jeanne sat at the chair that faced the door while Arturia sat opposite of her.

"This is a nice place," Arturia commented as she looked around the small corner they were in, she liked how warm and cozy the coffee shop felt. Even if she wasn't a number one fan of coffee, the smell of roasted coffee beans and pastries made her feel relaxed. She was excited to try the pastries and so she watched Jeanne patiently as the girl removed her winter jacket. The days were already freezing with the start of December and school work was starting to pile up as well, now that the end of the semester was around the corner.

"I have to go to the bathroom, go ahead and order," Jeanne gave a smiled before glancing at her phone and standing from her seat, "Choose whatever you want, I'm paying today."

"Thank you, Jeanne," Arturia smiled and nodded before turning her gaze towards the menu before her.

Jeanne was walking towards the washroom when a voice called her name and she shot her head towards it.

Cú Chulainn stood waving at her and she had witnessed the older male standing behind him with a shocked expression on his face, "Fancy meeting you here, lass," The red eyed male walked towards her with the older one shortly behind.

Jeanne smiled, "Hello Cú Chulainn, Hello Sir," she greeted with a small curtsy.

"You here all alone?" Cú Chulainn winked, "I do hope so."

"Arturia is with me," the Frenchwoman replied, her lips in a straight line.

Diarmuid's amber eyes seemed to widen a bit more and they slowly looked around. He seemed nervous, almost as if something would pop out from behind him and scare him. Jeanne suspected it was because he was afraid to see Arturia.

"Mind if we join you?" Cú Chulainn lifted an eyebrow, a smirk on his lips. Technically, he was already on a date with Jeanne.

"Uh," Jeanne ran her teeth over her bottom lip, "alright," she nodded, "I'm sure Arturia won't mind." She led the males towards the four-person table that the girls sat at as and noticed that Diarmuid was being dragged along by Cú Chulainn who was holding his wrist.

"I think I might have left the car lights on," Diarmuid cleared his throat as he made an excuse upon seeing the blonde female that was seated.

"No, you didn't," Cú Chulainn disagreed once Arturia had noticed who was joining them, "I checked already so don't worry." He then took the seat next to Arturia so as to not make things awkward between the teacher and her.

"I'll be right back, I have yet to go to the Ladies' room," Jeanne gave an innocent smile after Diarmuid had taken the seat next to hers, "If you would excuse me." She then made her way back in the direction she had originally come from.

"Oh, I'll go get the waitress so we can order," Cú Chulainn gave a prompt grin before he stood.

"I'll come with," Diarmuid jumped up as he was not looking forward to the awkward silence between Arturia and him.

Cú Chulainn shook his head, "No can do, big bro, you can't leave the lass alone; that's not gentleman like of you." And with that, the blue haired man left the two lovebirds-to-be all alone to themselves.

The low indie music was the only thing that filled the space between them along with the scent of coffee and pastries. Their silence was becoming a bit unbearable and so they both decided to speak up.

"So…?"

"How…" Diarmuid had felt bad for cutting her off, "You go first," he said.

"It's okay, I wasn't going to say anything." Arturia began to find interest in the sugar shaker that her fingertips were playing with.

"Ah, um, how are you?" The older of the two finished his sentence, his cheeks dusted a little in pink whilst he rubbed the back of his neck.

Arturia nodded and looked back up towards him, "Good, good, and you?"

"That's good; good as well." He gave a slow nod.

"I wanted to ask you something; what were you going to tell me on Monday?" She noticed him tense up at the mention of the question. It was an immediate reaction and when he looked back up at her, his cheeks were red and his eyes held a little bit of surprise.


	21. We Can Work it Out

Diarmuid shrugged, trying to supress the light blush that was crawling upon his cheeks, the contrast being a good sight for Arturia's green eyes, "Uh…" He tried to think of something that was not what he had been thinking that day, "I just, um, er, wanted to apologize for any misconceptions that I might have caused." Alright, so he would admit, that did not seem the slightest bit believable; he was stuttering all over the place trying to come up with something she would actually believe.

Arturia crossed her arms over her chest and rested them on the wooden table before leaning forward, her green eyes filtered through her brown eyelashes as she looked at him through them. He watched as she ran her teeth over her bottom lip before she spoke, "I don't believe you." She lifted a dirty blonde eyebrow, "Now, tell me what you were actually going to say?"

"What-ah-what do you mean?" It would have been very, very beneficial if he had a drink right now to distract himself, but there was no way he could ignore her now without seeming completely and utterly rude.

"You know, you cannot fool me, Diarmuid, you must have meant something else. You know very well that Cú Chulainn and Jeanne are basically setting us up, so don't put their hard work and wit to waste," she spoke; basically she just wanted Diarmuid to admit his feelings for her while looking her straight in the eyes.

His amber hues drifted their gaze from her emerald ones and her rubbed the sore muscle at the nape of his neck, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Arturia huffed and dropped her head, "Come on, Diarmuid, just say it. It's not going to hurt anyone." The Englishwoman was not even prepared for this, in fact, she was beyond frightened of what he would say—contrary to her demeanor. Her heart was raging in her chest as if her ribcage would be broken with it's crazy thumping, her stomach was churning and she had an odd sensation of just out right puking; but the stoic expression on her face kept her in check.

Diarmuid, now red as the menu before them that was a crimson colour, gulped and let his eyes wander back to her, locking his gaze with hers, "Alright." He too felt the bugs crawling in his stomach, scared for his life—even if it didn't depend on what she had to think; but it sure felt like it. He swallowed down the knot in his throat and let his right knee bounce under the table in anticipation.

Arturia sat a little impatiently, trying to find a comfortable spot on her chair, as her eyes remained on him. If she was lucky, this was it; the moment he would tell her that he liked and, if she was even more luckier, they would probably kiss. Her heart beat fast at the thought of it, her green eyes glued to his face.

"I… uh, as I had said, I've thought about it—this whole entire time now. I guess it's been in the back of my mind ever since we broke things off," his eyes were drifting from hers as he became more anxious by the second, "Well…" He lifted his gaze back up at her, eyes set ablaze with determination like small flames.

Arturia blinked, biting the inside of her cheek real hard that she was starting to draw blood. She breathed out steadily, hoping not to give her anticipation out.

"I like you. I kno—I know it's wrong, it really is. But I like you still, even after this whole ordeal of being your teacher, about Grainne, about everything that has happened since I met you. I like you. A-And… I don't know anything anymore." He did it. He finally expressed his feelings, "I mean, I miss the times we went out to the park or on any other little date we had, and, well now, I think it's just best to let you know how I feel."

Arturia could not formulate proper words as her cheeks were warming up and she gulped, hearing her heart beat in her ears, "Uh…I…"

"That being said," a frown formed on his lips, realization dawning upon him after his long speech, "I'm your teacher, nothing's going to change that—sadly—and thus, although my feelings are clear and strong; we should just be friends. It would be better that way."

The poor girl's smile dropped and her brows knitted together, "What? Why? You just admitted that you liked me." She stood up from her seat, his eyes watching her every move, and sat on the chair next to him so that they would be closer and she could try and catch a glimpse of what he was truly thinking.

"Because I'm your teacher. We agreed that it wouldn't work out," he answered, the crimson conquering his cheeks entirely.

"No, _you_ said it wasn't going to work out, I never agreed." Her stomach was probably doing some sort of dance as she decided to reach towards him and wrap her arms around his neck, her pale lips in a straight line. "I think we can work it out."

The male was a deep red and still as a rock. He cleared his throat and reached up to remove her hands from his neck but he heard her speak again, "Diarmuid, I really do like you. We can date, keep it a secret, and no one will know. We like one another and I really think that we should continue our relationship."

"Arturia, I'm your teacher a-and what if we get found out, what then?"

"But you weren't my teacher when we met. It's not fair. Please? Think about it, don't just say no without a thought of it. I think this can work out if we try."

Diarmuid shook his head, "This is a bad idea, no. Arturia, I'm much older than you."

"I know," she groaned, rolling her eyes, "but I'll be eighteen in February so it's all good. Just wait, like, two more months and it will be totally legal. Plus, you won't be my teacher during the second semester. Think about it and give me your answer by Friday." She let her arms slip from his neck and slide over his grass green button-up shirt. She could feel his strong build under her hands and then she retracted her hands as to not embarrass herself.

Diarmuid gulped and slowly shook his head, "You know—"

"We're both grown up," she eyed him after she knew he was going to oppose, "we can make an informed decision. Just _think_ about it, we will talk about it later." She mumbled after having seen Jeanne peeking over the corner; checking up on them. Arturia gave her a nod as she was about to stand but Jeanne came running back and sat in the seat across from her, Cú Chulainn right behind.

They sat down next to each other, Jeanne blinking her violet eyes in order to receive some sort of sign of how the talk had gone…she didn't receive anything that could help her understand the situation.

"So…are you guys togeth—ow!" Cú Chulainn glared at the female next to him, "What was that for, Jeanne?" She had kicked him underneath the table for his insensitivity and now his shin was in severe pain. Jeanne might have been cute, gorgeous even, but a shin was a shin, "Geez."

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to hit you," she tried to play it off, "are you alright?" She landed a hand on his forearm, truth be told, she didn't mean to kick him as hard as she did and so she felt quite guilty and her concern wasn't completely an act.

His red eyes dropped to her hand that held his arm in place then they drifted back up to her, "It's alright…" He said before looking back at his brother, "Anyway, did you guys resolve it?"

Arturia shrugged, "We'll have to see," she smiled a little, "nothing's definite, though."

"As of now, that is," Diarmuid added and it caused Arturia to turn her face toward him in hope; was he actually considering it?

They sat and talked for a bit, the waitress had come to take their orders and soon returned with the drinks in hand. The girls were the ones that were leading the conversation while Cú Chulainn threw random questions at the fencer because he was still amazed that it was truly her; he was actually interested in her fencing skills.

After an hour or so, they all stood from the table and headed for their cars; Jeanne and Cú Chulainn went ahead chatting about their project a little more, "So we meet up for the project but that doesn't count as the date you owe me." Cú Chulainn stated as he led her to her car, "I hope you are aware of that."

"Okay. When are we doing that again?" She tilted her head whilst glancing at him. Her attitude was much more welcoming than it had been when he first purposed the idea.

"Hmmm…" The boy looked up as if he was searching his mind for a date, "How about Saturday? At around three in the afternoon, I might have planned something already." He turned to her and grinned, sharp canines showing with confidence.

"Um, do I have anything planned for then?" She thought about it a little, "I don't think so. It should be fine that day."

Cú Chulainn nodded, "Awesome." He chuckled, "I'll pick you up at about two thirty."

"Uh…" Jeanne blinked, "Do you even have a license?"

"I can drive," he answered with a smile on his lips.

"But, that's not what I asked… I asked if you had a license, not if you could drive…" She gave him a warning look.

Cú Chulainn chuckled nervously, "I have an Irish one? That's good enough, right?"

Jeanne frowned and nudged him on the shoulder a little playfully, "That won't work. Don't worry, I'll drive." She giggled. They got to the car and she pulled out her phone, "We should exchange numbers so that we can talk about the project and the outing, yeah?" She looked at him.

Cú Chulainn's eyes grew a little and he laughed, "Aw, you beat me to it, I was going to ask for your number."

Meanwhile, Arturia and Diarmuid took their time in even leaving the store; they were just walking next to each other, nothing much was said until they got to the parking lot, "Don't be late for class on Monday." He said.

"Are you thinking about telling me your answer?" She looked up at him, a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

The tall man shrugged, shoving his hands into his jean's pockets, "We'll have to see."

Monday came and Jeanne sat down at her usual seat in History, waiting for the boy that sat next to her with a smile on her face. Arturia had filled in the gaps for her and she had said that Diarmuid and she would most likely end up together by Friday. Jeanne was starting to get more excited about the date that Cú Chulainn and she would go on, even if she did try to convince herself that it wasn't a date. She had not gone out with anyone other than Arturia for a couple of months now, so this was seeming like a pleasant outing.

Cú Chulainn arrived late for class and sat next to her with a frown on his lips. Jeanne had tried to greet him with a smile but he completely ignored her. She lifted blonde eyebrows in confusion but shrugged his cold behaviour off as having woken up on the wrong side of bed. The rest of the class had been a study period and Cú Chulainn did not even speak a single word to his female friend, a pissed expression on his face the entire time.

Jeanne collected her books and kept her smile as she looked at him make no effort to follow her out of the classroom, "You aren't walking me to class today? Finally realized you couldn't make it to physics on time?" She giggled, nothing could really ruin her mood as of now.

Cú Chulainn looked at her, a small glare in his eyes that threw her off, "Why don't you ask your boyfriend to do it? I wouldn't want to make him jealous." His tone was definitely passive aggressive.

"Boyfriend?" The short girl questioned before letting a laugh slip from her lips, "Okay then," her laugh died down, "I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Of course you don't." He rolled his eyes and walked past her, probably heading off to class.

She tilted her head in confusion and shrugged it off, _He'll be nicer by lunch_ , she assured herself before exiting her History class and slinging her duffle bag over her right shoulder while still keeping her school bag properly placed on her back. The walk to her next class was silent, and she was starting to miss having Cú Chulainn chatting about whatever he found interesting that morning, whether it be fencing or her hair.

Jeanne was the first to arrive at the lunch table, and so she sat down and pulled out her history book so that she would be able to finish her homework before she went home that afternoon. Student council had cancelled their meeting that day and she was looking forward to getting home and looking over the following day's lessons and making notes.

Arturia soon joined her, a smile on her lips as she sat next to her, "Hey, how were your classes?" She asked.

Jeanne lifted her head from her book and smiled, "Great! We learned about Agincourt, so that was awesome. And we did some weight lifting in gym." She answered her friend, "What about yours?"

"Data sheets, data sheets, data sheets," she referred to her first period business with a loud sigh, "And then we did a projectile lab in physics so we got to launch balls around the classroom—Gil got hit by a marble." She laughed and pulled money from her wallet, "Are you going to buy food?"

"No, I brought a boxed lunch, don't worry." Jeanne smiled and then turned back to her book.

"Okay, I'll go quickly before there's a line, I'll be back in like five minutes." As Arturia had promised, she returned around five minutes later with some fancy food and sat down at the table, Lancelot and Gawain had already arrived and sat opposite of the girls.

Jeanne was too focused on her work when something was smacked down on the table between Arturia and her, "Mind explaining what you are doing with Gilgamesh here?" Upon hearing the boy's name, she knew that Guinevere—who sounded rather cheated—was not talking about her, so she didn't even look at the magazine.

"Jeanne?" Guinevere's voice came again and Jeanne nodded.

"Let me just finish this sentence," she answered and did just that before lifting her face and smiling a Guinevere, "Hey, what's up?"

Guinevere's brown eyes doubled in size, "Don't 'what's up' me, Jeanne. What is the meaning of this?" She harshly pointed at a magazine that was what she had slapped on the table.

Jeanne furrowed her brows and looked over at her friends, the boys were silent as Arturia averted her gaze. The Frenchwoman looked down at the magazine and saw something that made her twist her lips into a frown, "Man, these magazines do love to spread rumors. I never thought it would happen to me." She was rather calm, "Wow, I'm on a magazine. Wow, my brother won't even believe this!"

"Jeanne, are you even reading it?" Guinevere crossed her arms over her chest.

Jeanne lifted her violet gaze to her friend and then dropped it back to the magazine before her. She took it in her hands. The picture demonstrated a couple, the girl with a ridiculously long blonde braid and a white dress was reaching up to the boy, who had an arm wrapped around her waist. His face was completely visible but you could not see the girl's face. The title, in big black outlined white letters read; 'MP Son's Mystery Girlfriend'. Other headings included, 'secret romance' and 'perfect couple', in fact, as Guinevere made her aware, the front cover was not the only page that held her. In the middle of the magazine, the pages were dedicated to her and her apparent style.

Some pictures were most likely obtained from the yearbook and others were taken in the past week. There did not seem to be any of the past Saturday so Jeanne was relieved. Albeit, her face was blurred, pictures of her nonetheless, "What? Are you serious? H-how did they even take these? Oh my gosh, I feel so violated right now, what?"

"Not only that, Jeanne, but look around and tell me what you see." Guinevere crossed her arms over her chest and Jeanne did as asked.

"No way," she had not noticed it that morning because she was much too focused on other things to realize, "are you kidding me?" A majority of the girls in the cafeteria wore their hair in braids—the magazine had declared it a new trend that made a girl beautiful and 'sophisticated' because pony tails were quote-on-quote lame. The realization dawned upon her and she furrowed her brows, "Don't tell me that this was what Cú Chulainn was referring to…"

"And this is why I didn't update my blog yesterday. I was going to have a special on Cú Chulainn but turns out you are with Gil." The brunette was very, very pissed; her jaw was clenched and her entire attitude gave off the vibe that she was about to attack Jeanne. Not because she liked Gil (because she didn't) but because she was not able to update her blog.

"What! We're not even together! You know what was happening in the cover picture?" She questioned.

"He looks like he's looking down at the love of his life, Jeanne. Look at his face."

"You see that guy that's blurred in the corner? Yeah, he was puking on the carpet! Who would lovingly look at each other when a guy is puking next to them? And, and, I was fixing his make-up cause this guy doesn't even know how to apply it!" Jeanne was defensive about her statement and then she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and saw Gilgamesh, "Thank goodness you're here." She gave a relieved sigh, "Tell them that there's nothing between us."

Gilgamesh looked down at her, golden hair up again because he didn't want to resemble the picture on the magazine, "Jeanne, look, I was tipsy that day. We might have kissed but it meant nothing. Plus, you know Arturia and I are together, things just can't work out between us…"

Jeanne's jaw had dropped and she gave him a look of confusion, "Gil, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that you should stop obsessing over me, Jeanne. I don't love you." He deadpanned.

She bolted up from her seat and wasted no time in slapping him square on the cheek, his pretty face following the movement, "Not everything is about you, you jerk! I thought we were—" she had lifted her hand to slap him again but he caught her wrist and she tried to pull her arm away but his grip was much too tight— "friends…" The look in his red eyes frightened Jeanne to the point that she froze.

"Who do you think you are to land a hand on me? Friends, don't be ridiculous, you're just the daughter of a poor family and the school's charity case. So don't act all high and mighty." He held her wrist tightly, "You have no right to raise a hand or your voice against me." In saying this, he prepared his hand in order to return the slap.

"You dare land a hand on her Gil and I will ruin you, let her go this instant." Arturia stood from her seat, a glare of her very own on her eyes and if looks could kill, Gilgamesh would be dead long ago.

Gilgamesh dropped his hand and squeezed Jeanne's wrist one last time before letting her go, "Remember your place, mongrel." He hissed before turning on his heel and leaving—many people already having their eyes upon them.

Lancelot stood from his seat and was ready to beat the snobby prince up again, but Jeanne called out to him, making his jaw clench, "Just let him go." Her voice was pained and she slowly sat down again at the table, "It doesn't matter."

"But Jeanne, he would have slapped you if Arturia didn't intervene and you would just let that go?" Lancelot looked at her as if she had lost her mind.

"There's no point in going after him, he isn't going to change his mind." She answered as she packed her books, "Let's just finish our lunch."

Guinevere frowned, "Now I know who to expose next on my blog," she grit her teeth, "he isn't leaving without a scratch."

Jeanne sighed, "You don't need to do anything… It's alright." She then felt a hand on her shoulder and a reassuring squeeze on it. She looked up at Arturia who held a solemn smile on her face.

"It's going to be alright."

Jeanne was naïve to think that nothing would ruin her day, she should have known that Gilgamesh would always be the cause of her blue attitude. She slowly nodded at her friend's comment and began to untie her braid out of pure frustration.


	22. Is this a Date?

Guinevere hurried to her locker as soon as school was over, she shoved her books into her cubby and dropped her backpack off; she had Newspaper Club so she was dying to get there as quickly as humanly possible. She shimmied off her blazer and shoved it inside once again before placing a wide grin on her lips; she just loved writing the newspaper.

Almost skipping down the crowded hallway, Guinevere turned the corner and spotted Gilgamesh at the end of the empty hallway (as there were no lockers down this one). She squinted her eyes into a glare and noticed that he was talking to someone, but the corner of the wall blocked his companion. An idea slithered into her mind and she began making her way—slowly and quietly—towards the pair.

Guinevere gulped, continuing her eavesdropping until she was able to see who the mystery person was. "Why are they sneaking around together? This smells very fishy." It wasn't the sushi that she had had during lunch for sure. "Grainne and Gilgamesh only mean trouble." She whispered under her breath, hoping to catch what they were talking about, but her far distance listening skills were not as acute as she had wished and she only heard mumbles. It was a name that caught her attention, _Arturia_.

The brunette sighed, wishing to hear what the pair of students were scheming up.

"Guin!" She dropped her pencil at the sound of her betrothed's voice, "There you are, we're going to be late for club activities."

She swore under her breath as the two teenagers shot their heads towards her, "Oh, Miss told me to get her papers from the Arts Department." Her hair followed in motion as she looked over at the violet haired boy, "Want to tag along?"

Lancelot nodded and caught up to her before they walked together towards the Arts' Department office and passed the pair by. The tall stoic male caught a glimpse of the glare that the mean girl shot towards them. They did just as the female had said, they both got the papers from the Arts' Department and headed off to the computer lab where they held their Newspaper club meeting.

Guinevere arrived at the computer lab with Lancelot at her tail. She sat down at one of the computers and logged into her student account, Lancelot giving the papers to the club teacher before sitting beside her. The brunette decided to search up a bit about Grainne and tried her best to see what Gilgamesh and she would have in common other than being total snakes and filthy rich. There was nothing much she found that connected them other than a few actual cocktail parties they attended for their parents' social gatherings.

It was the teacher calling her name that snapped her out from her investigative trance and shoot her head towards the adult that stood near the door, "You have a visitor." The woman's pale peach lips etched in a smile.

Guinevere furrowed her brows and tilted her head. If Lancelot was seated next to her finishing up some homework and Gawain was at one of his father's conventions and Arturia and Jeanne never _ever_ came to visit the 'snitch club'. The brunette shrugged, pushing her hair over her shoulder and all but skipped to the door, "Yeeeellow," she had a bright smile on her face—a visitor always meant good news.

Right before her eyes, a boy stood straight. Hair slightly messy, uniform disheveled but he somehow seemed composed. Her smile slowly faded and she lifted an eyebrow, "So, uh, what happened to you?"

The blue-haired male looked down at himself and chuckled, "Aha, don't worry about that."

"And why didn't you join us during lunch?"

"The teacher wanted me to catch up on the physics stuff. I'm pretty far behind. But… I just wanted to ask some questions."

"Oh yeah?" Guinevere furrowed her eyebrows, "What about?"

The Irishman rubbed the back of his neck and gave a nervous chuckle, "Yeah, haha, about Gilgamesh. Just a few questions, have the time?"

The brunette looked back at Lancelot who continued to work on his homework and then at her computer, "Mind waiting until after club's over? You can help me out in the process."

Cu Chulainn nodded and followed after her as she went back into the classroom and sat at her respective computer bench. The boy sat down next to her and watched her write her next article, "So what did you want to talk about, bae?" She typed away, the keyboard filling the atmosphere around her with the sound of keys clicking and somehow making a rhythm that he liked—it was a refreshing sound.

It seemed that she always referred to people as 'bae' because Lancelot didn't even mind that his fiancée was being so familiar with the boy, "I just wanted to ask a few questions…" The playboy spoke, watching her fill the word document with words.

"Yup, about Gil, right? Go ahead, ask away. I'm currently writing a paper on campus abuse." The young lady pursed her lips into a straight line, "I'm hinting at Gil."

Cu Chulainn furrowed his brows, "Campus abuse?" He repeated in question, "Gilgamesh is abusive?"

"Ha! You should have seen the way he was acting towards Jeanne today. He was being the biggest jerk on the planet. Lancelot almost punched him again." Guinevere had an amazing sense of multitasking. She was actually writing what she was thinking while saying something different.

The Irishman leaned on the desk, "Wait a second there, how was he treating Jeanne?"

"Alright, so If you're worried about Gil taking Jeanne away because of what you saw on the magazine," Guinevere looked at him.

"Don't be." Lancelot added whilst still working on the homework before him.

The girl nodded her head, "Lancie's right. You don't need to be worried about that at all. In fact, Jeanne cleared things up for me and then Gil came and you should just have been there. I'm hoping someone took a video so I can upload it on my blog. This was some intense stuff."

"But what happened? What did he do to Jeanne?" Cu Chulainn felt something twist in his gut and a sudden rush of anger filled him, "Did he hit her?"

"Almost. Ugh," the girl shivered, "he almost slapped her if it wasn't for Arturia. Can you believe that? If I was remotely fit, I would have punch him square on the jaw—but since Jeanne is too nice for her own good, she just let him go without a single scratch on his stupid skin. But, enough about him, we're only giving him the attention he wants." She went back to the article, "So questions, right?"

"Not anymore, I think I got all I needed to make a conclusion. Jeanne's definitely not interested in him, so it should be no problem to get with her." He shrugged, "Just expect to see Gil bruised tomorrow."

"No happening. One, Jeanne would totally hate you because she hates violence. Two, Gil never comes t school bruised. He skipped like a week when Lancelot gave him a black eye. Plus, today, you are going to get your initiation." Guinevere chirped, "I'm so exited!"

"Initiation?" The male questioned.

"To the group. All of us have had one ever since Guin decided to make an 'entourage'." Lancelot answered his question.

"This sounds like I'm joining a cult."

"Hey! If that were the case, Jeanne wouldn't be with us." Guinevere defended, "Plus, everyone gets their own special initiation. Jeanne's was the most chill, to be honest. You are going to have fun tonight!"

* * *

 

Jeanne ran a hand through her hair as she had let it go ever since lunch time. She stocked up the snack isle and simply tried not to tire herself out too much. The box cutter that was snuggled in her back pocket had managed to scratch her hands all over the place and she was feeling very upset over that too.

She sighed and rolled her shoulders as she heard a little bell over the door and soon one at the counter top. "One sec," she called out before stretching her arms and making her way to the counter. Her lips held a bright smile but soon faded upon the sight of red eyes, "Oh… hello." She blinked.

"Hey there," the boy spoke, "I wanted to talk to you, actually."

"There is not much to talk about." Jeanne deadpanned and looked down at the lottery tickets.

"Jeanne, I wanted to apologize."

"Apologize?" Jeanne's eyebrows knitted together, "It's alright, Gilgamesh. You don't need to."

The blond male sighed, "I do. I crossed the line, my father had been pestering me about it all morning and you were the first one I could take my anger out on. I didn't mean all I said, I was just trying to keep my image but it crumbled. I'm sorry."

Jeanne couldn't believe it. Gilgamesh, _the_ Gilgamesh, was standing before her and _apologizing_. The one notorious for being the biggest jerk on the planet; the one and only. She blinked a couple of times for she was speechless. His excuse didn't satisfy her but she was glad that he took the time to seek her nonetheless.

"When do you finish your shift? I can take you out for Cheesecake as an apology. If you want." He seemed a tad bit flustered, but she had not even noticed it because he had been so casual about it.

"Uh, are you asking me on a date?" She had not even thought about what she had said, it had just come out of her mouth for no reason.

"What?" He looked at her with a shocked expression, "It's just to apologize." He quickly added, shaking his head in denial.

Jeanne looked at the clock and sighed, "Well," he was offering free cheesecake, "I get off in twenty minutes." She answered and looked down, "I forgive you." She added promptly. She always forgave and forget, it was what she was taught and truly believed.

"Thanks. So I'll wait outside. It's the Rolls Royce, you can just get in." He gave her a small smile and exited the store.

Upon the end of her shift, Jeanne slipped out of her uniform and walked out to the parking lot where the car was waiting for her. She had lent her car to her brother so she did not need to worry about it. The blonde had been planning to bus home, but since the male apologized and offered her cheesecake she couldn't turn that down for a rowdy bus.

She knocked on the passenger window and watched as he opened the door for her from the inside. The car was very, very nice and she almost felt like a queen inside of it, "You don't have to buy me anything, you do know that."

"I want to apologize, so cheesecake would be good to mend our friendship." He answered, "But I'm also going to buy you something nice to change into." His red eyes glanced over her black sweats and watermelon t-shirt.

She looked down at her attire and frowned, "Do I look that bad?"

"It's not that," he answered, "It's just that the place we're going to is very fancy." He started the car and drove out of the parking lot and into the street. They did not talk much in the car and once they had arrived at the mall, they entered a shop and he bought a rather expensive dress and pair of shoes for the female.

"You didn't have to buy this; I feel as if I'm using you…" She mumbled under her breath after leaving the fancy store with a baby blue dress on and ivory shoes.

The boy looked over at her, "You look gorgeous." He avoided what she had said, "Dresses look really nice on you. Let's go for the cheesecake now."

Jeanne sighed and gave him a nod, "Thank you."


	23. The Time has Come

It was dark outside and the snow was beginning to fall. The snowflakes fell so harmoniously, to sweetly kiss the earth when they met. Jeanne noticed that it seemed that when you move, they fall faster as if to hit you, but the reality is that you interrupt their path and hurt them. The snowflakes started to cover the land with a white thin blanket that appeared soft and fluffy to the touch, but if you hold the unique white fluffiness, they start to sting your fingers as they melt. They come in all sizes and some very unique shapes, and sometimes they fall in clumps.

The snowflakes looked puffy, beautiful, innocent and breathtaking as they continued to fall without another thought. Jeanne kept her violet eyes fixated on the fluffy snow that fell as the car had come to a stop while the light had turned a vibrant and warning red. The female looked to her side and watched the blond male leaning his arm on the door while keeping his eyes on the road.

"It's nice outside…" She mumbled lowly so as to start a conversation because the silence was beginning to be unbearable for she was starting to feel the tension between them growing with every second.

She heard Gilgamesh sigh as he shifted about on the driver's seat, "I guess," he muttered back. It almost seemed as if he was being forced against his will and he really didn't want to be there.

They still had not broken the silence until they were seated at the fancy dessert restaurant that Gilgamesh had brought her to. The walls were decorated with lights and floral designs and there was even a hall of mirrors that almost mimicked Versailles; in fact, Jeanne had visited the French Palace once and this restaurant seemed a lot like it. It was a massive and elegant building.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Gilgamesh said as he watched the amazed female before him.

Jeanne had seemed a bit distracted at first and then her head shot towards him, the short part of her hair following in the movement and her pink lips opening a little so that she could respond, "Uh, y-yes. It is."

" _Madame Deficit_ 's is really good. They cater as well so my father has a good connection with Marie Antoinette since she is also a top chef." He commented as he looked down at the menu.

"Miss Antoinette also owns _Capet,_ doesn't she?" The female remembered the name of her favourite baker as she clapped her hands together.

"Yes, she does. She's a very well respected chef and baker. Either way, I thought you would enjoy a cheesecake, so you can choose whatever you like." He glanced at the female over his menu and watched how her eyes sparkled.

Upon choosing her cheesecake, the waitress scurried off into the kitchen and they began to talk about other unrelated matters. At first they spoke about the History project that was due that Friday and the fact that Cú Chulainn and she had not even started on it because they were supposed to supposed to be working on it that day but he had gotten upset so she guessed it was cancelled. After mentioning that, the conversation turned a little odd.

"So you're very familiar with Cú Chulainn now, right?" Gilgamesh asked upon the arrival of their food.

Jeanne shrugged as she dug her fork into the caramel goodness, "We are friends…" She answered, "But I wouldn't say we're very familiar."

Gilgamesh nodded lightly before another question popped into his head, "Oh, Mister Ua said you were his best student last time, right? How's that going?"

The smile on the Frenchwoman's lips grew, "Really well, I'm still number one in the class. It's going really well for me and I'm really happy about it. My parents said that if I keep it up, I could get into Oxford."

The boy leaned forward a little, admiring her smile and enthusiasm for Arturia was very cold to him when they spoke, "That's great." He said, "You seem to be very good in Chemistry."

Jeanne shrugged in reply and swayed her head a little, "Yeah, I work really hard for it. I always study so I think that it really has to do with that because I know I would suck if I didn't. Plus, I had Mister Ua as a tutor this summer and he was really good."

"Mister Ua was your tutor?"

A nod from the girl's part, "Mhm, my mother found him on an add and the price we had to pay for hour was beyond real but my mother really wanted him so we spoke with him and then he gave us a reasonable amount and he's so nice about it. He was an amazing tutor, I'm glad I got to be taught by him during the summer."

"I wasn't aware you knew him before the school year," Gilgamesh smirked, he finally found a juicy detail that would hopefully benefit him.

* * *

 

Meanwhile, Guinevere, Lancelot and Cú Chulainn were already at the place of initiation—a club. The blue-haired male looked up at the building, after having signed a waver that Guinevere forced him into, a little oddly and then glanced at the brunette that had her arm wrapped around the taller and more stoic male, "So this is it? I just have to come to a club? Well that's not so bad."

Guinevere chuckled, "That's only part of it. You have to wait for the really good stuff." She gave a wicked smile before she waved at the body guard and he let them in. It was normal for her to go partying so this particular club knew her already. Once they had entered, the loud music filled their ears and the female cheered as she led the two males to the bar countertop. She placed a bill on the counter and gave a bright smile, "Strongest drink you have please."

A few seconds later a bottle of whatever the bartender had was strong was placed before her with three shot cups. "And a tequila for me." She chirped and soon came her required drink. The brunette turned to the two boys, "So, Lancey is the designated driver, no drinking for you, bae." She shook her index finger, "And Cúch and I will drink to our hearts content." After this, she took a swing of the tequila and made a weird face as it burned her throat.

Cú Chulainn blinked at the female and then laughed, "You just want me to get drunk? That's all? I can do that!"

"There will be more, but that's a little later." Basically, these initiations were just for the entertainment of Guinevere, and she always came up with the craziest things—save for Jeanne's because Arturia had not allowed her to get her drunk or anything.

Cú Chulainn was not afraid to drink, in fact, he was basically taking swings of the bottle and already screwed shots—there was no pOint to them if he was just going to get drunk. The stinging in his throat felt good and he couldn't deny himself of the bitter liquor. The more he drank, the more things got out of hand, and quickly. It wasn't long before he finished the bottle (tipsy as heck) and ordered another one. He was starting to tune the loud music out while still dancing to it, if one could call that dancing, with Guinevere joining him. The two teens were out of hand and Lancelot had to drag them out of the club since he was the only one in his right mind at the given moment.

"Aw, but we were having," Guinevere hiccupped, "so much fun, baby." She whined at Lancelot who had an arm wrapped around her protectively and Cú Chulainn dragging behind.

"We still have some stuff to do, remember?" Lancelot asked and the female nodded her head.

"Right! Cúch," the female giggled, "how do you feel about a tattoo?"

The blue haired male swayed his head and lifted his shoulders in a shrug, "Ah, what the hell! Let's do it!" He wasn't in the right mind of anything—trust. And it was also very easy to persuade him into getting female underwear and actually wearing them (They were a pair of hot pink female boxer shorts).

Guinevere was giggling the entire time, trying to take picture of the male with her phone but she was having such a hard time, so she ordered Lancelot to do the honours. Let's just say that a wild tattoo and the toned butt of Cú Chulainn were very visible, along with the male's shocked expression.

"Victoria's Secret Angels material," Guinevere slurred with hiccups, "Totally going up on the top of the wall! No one has a pic this good! By the way, pink really suits you!"

Cú Chulainn was a little too drunk to protest, but he was good enough to get a little upset with her, "No, that's not going up anywhere!" He argued while waving his hands about in disapproval.

"You signed the paper," Lancelot butt in, "You agreed." He reasoned as they entered the black car of the male. After a long time of drinking and 'fun', Lancelot deemed it time to go home so they were stuffed in the car and began to drive home.

* * *

 

Jeanne and Gilgamesh continued to talk about other things after that and the night had gone very well. They laughed, talked and ate until it was rather late when they stood from the table. After their small conversation about school, Jeanne noticed that Gilgamesh had been different, he was just much more invested in the conversations and in learning about her and what she liked and didn't. There was a lot of change from the first conversation that they had because it was focusing on her and not other people.

They stood from the table and walked towards the exit of the establishment. Gilgamesh went to get their jackets as Jeanne waited by the doors whilst she called her mother to tell her she was perfectly fine and that she was heading over as soon as possible. It was almost midnight and she was already way past curfew but her mother allowed it since she was out with Gilgamesh.

She exited the building so that the cool winter breeze would ease her and she could feel the snowflakes. Gilgamesh soon joined her and wrapped her jacket around her, "Careful, you might catch a cold." He actually seemed concerned and so Jeanne smiled and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you for everything." She was honest too, her smile beyond sincere.

"I'll take you home," the blond said as he slipped into his jacket and did well in suppressing the blush that was creeping on his cheeks.

"It's alright, I live near by, I can walk." Jeanne replied, smile still plastered on her face.

Gilgamesh's red eyes turned to slits and he shook his head, "No. You are not walking."

"Then I'll take the bus, you don't have to drive me, Gil."

"You can't go alone. It's already very late and not dressed like that. What if something happens to you?"

Jeanne thought about it and then gave him a nod because he was right. As he was walking her to the car, a black car screeched to a stop next to them and out came the boy with a rat tail. Jeanne's eyes grew wide and she bit her lower lip as the male came stumbling towards them.

"Jeanne! It's you, right? Woah, you're looking very good." Cú Chulainn grinned as he approached the two blond teenagers.

Gilgamesh scrunched his nose in disgust, the way one does when they smell something really bad—like a dying animal. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the young man before them.

"Cú Chulainn, what are you doing here?" Jeanne furrowed her brows and then took in the smell of heavy liquor, "Are you drunk?"

Cú Chulainn shook his head, "Nope!" He laughed, "I just saw you with an ass so I came to save you and take you home."

Gilgamesh scoffed, "Says the mutt." He muttered and earned a glare from the blue haired boy, "And you're not taking her home, I am. You're drunk and you smell horrible."

"I'm walking her home." The Irishman hissed back, glare still in his eyes, "Plus, I smell like nicely fermented scotch, thank you."

Jeanne had been looking back an forth between the males and decided to step in, "Uh guys, it's alright. I can get home alone."

Both the males turned to her and finally agreed on something, "No."

The poor girl sighed and walked over to Gilgamesh, "Thank you for everything, but I'll go with Cú Chulainn. I need to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. Thank you again." Her smile was sweet and forgiving, so Gilgamesh did not argue with her as she walked back to Cú Chulainn and pushed him in the direction of her house.

The blue haired boy stuck his tongue out at the snobby boy behind him and then proceeded in following Jeanne. Gilgamesh almost growled but refrained and walked to his car, getting in and starting it, but before he moved it, someone entered the passenger's seat.

"There was a lot of laughing, were you actually on a date with her?" A female glared at him.

"You were basically burning holes through me the entire night, as if I was going to ask anything with you lingering around." Gilgamesh glared at the woman that had gotten in the car with him.

"Isn't that the point, though? You need to ask her for hints." She crossed her arms over her chest and gave him an unsatisfied look.

"Just leave me alone, Grainne." He rolled his eyes and began to leave the parking lot.

"Don't get chummy with the enemy's best friend, you snake." Grainne rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.

The walk was mostly silent and it was only ever interrupted by Cú Chulainn stumbling and almost falling down along with the snow.

"You and Gilgamesh are not dating, right?" He managed to say it without slurring or hiccupping—it was a wonder to Jeanne how he had done it.

"Still hung up on that?" She giggled, tightening the jacket around herself, "No. We aren't dating." She answered him plainly.

"And you weren't on a date with him today, right?" He looked at her, eyes sharp as recently cut rubies.

She shook her head, "He was just apologizing for what happened during lunch. You know, he's a really nice person if he wants to be." Jeanne spoke, blinking for her eyes felt heavy with sleep.

"That's good to hear, then Saturday is still on, yeah? Oh and we can work on the project tomorrow, right?" He was back to impaired speech and wobbly walking. Then he stopped in his tracks and looked at a pile of snow, "I'm going to sit down for two seconds, okay?"

Jeanne shrugged and watched him sit on the snow and then lay down, "My back aches and it's all Guinevere's fault." He sighed.

"Why? Did she hurt you?" Jeanne furrowed her brows as she was very confused about the situation.

" _Initiation_." It was the only answer he could give and it seemed to make sense because Jeanne looked as if she had understood for her face filled with pity.

His eyes had flickered to a close and it was Jeanne that awoke him, "We should go now, you're much too drunk." She commented and gave him a hand so that she could help him up.

Cú Chulainn took her hand with a soft smile on his face and then allowed her to help him up, but as he was standing, he lost his footing and fell, brining her down with him. His laughs filled the air around him with the lingering smell of liquor and then their eyes locked as she had fallen on top of him. His smile remained on his lips and for some odd reason—probably the alcohol—he wrapped an arm around her waist and brought her closer.

His red eyes were on her peach lips for a while before he looked at her violet eyes, they were glossy and wide like polished amethysts that the jewelry stores sold for hundreds, "Jeanne…" he mumbled with a husky voice and he could see a blush growing on her cheeks but he was unsure if it was because of the cold stinging air or the situation. Her hair was decorated with snowflakes and she looked gorgeous, like an angel.

"U-uh…" Her lips were slightly parted and she seemed surprised.

He kept pulling her down towards him, hoping that their lips would connect as he felt something bubbling in his gut. His eyes fell on her lips again and they were only inches away by now—the liquor was really making him ballsy. Cú Chulainn realized that his upset stomach was not of nervousness and he pushed her off harshly before hurling to his left.

Jeanne sat on the snow disappointed to say the least, but she began to laugh as her heart was still beating at a hundred miles per hour, "You okay there?" She giggled a little, trying not to laugh too much because she knew that she hated the sound of people puking.

Cú Chulainn groaned and nodded, "Ugh, I guess, you?" he wiped his mouth with his sleeve as he sat up and looked at the female, "Aren't you cold?" His recovery time was fast and it seemed that he knew how to handle these types of situations.

Jeanne felt her legs burning from the cold snow and she nodded her head, "A little." She replied as they both stood from the snow and headed to her house once more. She watched him take off his jacket and then he handed it to her.

"Here, so you won't be cold." He winced at the cold air.

Jeanne laughed as she refused the coat, "Thank you but it's my legs that are cold. This dress isn't doing me justice and these heels are going to make me slip, I swear." She kept an eye for ice or big chunks of salt on the sidewalk.

"How far is your house again?" Cú Chulainn asked, he had never even seen her house so Jeanne furrowed her brows in confusion.

"Just down the block." She answered promptly, "I can drive you home, if you want."

The boy shook his head rapidly and quickly regretted it because he felt dizzy all over again, "The whole point is for _me_ to take _you_ home, not the other way around."

Jeanne gave a nod as she cautiously walked down the sidewalk, "So do you know what Diarmuid is going to say to Arturia? Do you think he'll accept her proposition?"

Cú Chulainn kept silent for a while and the shrugged, "He hasn't mentioned it to me as of late; he's keeping to himself."

Jeanne sighed as they neared her house, "I guess he wants to make the right decision then. You know, no peer pressure or anything."

Upon arriving at her home, the boy tilted his head but didn't comment on the fact that her house was rather big for her saying that she was 'poor'. She seemed to notice his confusion and answered him, "It's complicated, I have something like a sponsor of sorts. I do professional aquatics and stuff, so my sponsor bought us a house; his name is Charles Valoir, he does quite a bit for us but we also do stuff for him. The house was because I won the championships of the year; we still have to pay for part of it, hence why I have a part-time."

"Charles Valoir… Well, never heard of him but he must be a good person." The male yawned and stumbled a bit as they stopped in front of her house.

"So, how are you getting home?" Jeanne asked, snow falling onto her head and hiding in her hair.

"I'll call my bro; he's bound to pick me up if I say I'm lost." Cú Chulainn shrugged and placed his lips in a straight line.

The following day, Cú Chulainn awoke with a massive headache and a weird taste in his mouth. He groaned as he rolled over and stood from the bed. He didn't even look at the clock because it was what had awoken him and he knew he was going to be late for school if he did not hurry up. He almost wanted to crawl to the bathroom as he walked hunched over and holding his head.

After taking a shower, he looked back at the mirror for he felt a stinging in his back and checked it out. Right there, there was a butterfly on his lower back and he basically flipped out, "Shit! What the fuck? H-how?" His heart was starting to skip beats.

He quickly changed into his uniform and—with a horrid headache—hurried to complete his daily routine. He ran down the stairs and met his brother at the kitchen, who gave him a disappointed look, "Hey, bruh!"

"Do you mind explaining now?" Diarmuid crossed his arms over his chest, and blinked at the younger male. He had to bring Cú Chulainn home from Jeanne's the previous night only to have to answer Cú Chulainn's phone to get an explanation from Lancelot about why he was drunk.

"W-what do you mean?" Cú Chulainn looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

Diarmuid sighed and shook his head, "Scáthach is going to flip out, and father's not going to be proud."

* * *

 

Friday came sooner than expected and nothing much had happened besides Cú Chulainn arriving late with a hangover on Tuesday and Guinevere smiling wickedly while also having a hangover and leaning on Lancelot's shoulder. She said that on Saturday morning, after Arturia and Jeanne's Saturday English Class, they would all meet up at their hideout and Cú Chulainn's initiation would be complete.

Arturia was unsettled in her seat as she swayed about in anxiety. This was the last day she had given to Diarmuid and he had not so much as looked at her the entire week, not even called her name during attendance or when handing back the assignments. He had been giving her the cold shoulder and now she was irritated beyond repair and her anxiety was not helping her at all.

Her knee bounced underneath the Library table and Jeanne was trying to calm her down with encouraging words, "I think he won't agree," Arturia frowned and dropped her head on the table.

Jeanne sighed, "Artie, it's going to be alright. He's had a lot of time to think about it and he knows that you're basically the one for him, so it's going to be fine. He'll agree, I'm sure of it."

Chemistry class didn't back Jeanne up as there was zero chemistry between the teacher and the green-eyed student at all. It was starting to seem like they only had History.

By the time that the last bell rang, Arturia had given up on the fact that Diarmuid would accept, so before she looked anymore upset, she gathered her things and was prepared to leave. She packed her bag and both the girls were starting to leave the room until a call of her name snapped Arturia's head towards the demonstration desk of the class.

"Please stay behind," the deep voice of the man added and Arturia felt her heart skip a beat in anticipation. Her head shot towards her best friend and they looked at each other before the taller of the two gave her a thumbs up, and mumbled encouraging words before leaving the room.

Arturia watched the rest of the students leave the room and made her way towards the demonstration bench after the teacher and she were left alone in the room. She felt the butterflies rise up in her stomach and she gulped before trying to be more hopeful, "Yes?" She blinked up at the tall male.

"Uh…" Diarmuid looked upon her and pursed his lips together, "You gave me until today, so I've thought about it this entire week… and I have my answer."


	24. Finally

Arturia's heart was fluttering at an alarming rate and she was feeling the pressure in her chest become stronger by the minute. She gulped to ease herself and then began to discretely crack her knuckles so that she was feeling better. She ran her teeth over her bottom lip and took a deep breath. _This is it, he is finally going to tell me his answer. Now, Arturia, don't get discouraged if he disagrees; things can always be fixed._ Deep down, she knew that she would be very upset if he did say no and she was fearful.

"Arturia," his voice was something else now; it was a chemical mixture of anxiety and a mol of hope in her gut.

The blonde female took a step forwards so that she could probably hear him a little better if he tried to hide his voice from her. She seemed to have forgotten that there was an improperly placed chair before her and she so stumbled upon it and was basically ready to fall on her face before she was caught.

"I see you really don't want to hear my answer," Diarmuid chuckled and shook his head as he looked down at her.

Arturia was looking up at him, her arms holding his own and her green-eyes staring into his. Lately, she was being very clumsy and this was not a good or 'cute' thing. Her fingertips were burning just at the contact between them and her mind was starting to shut down slowly, "Uh," it was all she could manage from her throat.

The male helped her to her feet properly and she noted as he bit his lower lip before opening his mouth to speak, "As I was saying…" His lips were pursed in a straight line and it was visible that he was having trouble saying what he wanted to, "My answer is yes."

Arturia blinked her green eyes a little and nodded, "Okay, I guess I understand. It is your decision and I should have no say in it. I mean, we can work things out and I promise—"

"Arturia, I said yes." His eyes remained on her the entire time as he furrowed his brows and understood that she had not heard him properly.

Her meadow gaze shot towards him and her eyes were wide, "Wait, really?" She asked in disbelief, her mouth hanging a little open.

"But," of course there had to be strings attached, "there is a set of rules that I have come up with to avoid anything that might cause us trouble."

Arturia nodded her head, "I guess that would be fine. A relationship must always have some rules."

Diarmuid gave her a short smile before proceeding, "First off; no contact within school property—including eye contact." The first rule already asked for a lot and Arturia was seeing that it was going to be hard to comply with them, "Secondly; we take things slow," he was blushing furiously now, "this is an honest and serious relationship."

"Are there more rules?" Arturia tilted her head.

"No staying afterschool in my class. No talking over two minutes a week. No random advances. Remember that I am a te—"

The short female crossed her arms over her chest and sighed, "This is ridiculous; we're basically not progressing our relationship. I know you're my teacher and that won't change… But we cannot be thinking about getting caught all the time, we have to focus on us. On our relationship and how we will progress it." Her voice was filled with confidence, leaving Diarmuid silent for a while.

"I know. I understand that, I just…" He was unsure of what to say and it was causing his stomach to churn.

Arturia took a step towards him, a soft smile on her face that made his heart flutter, "How about we do something today?" She asked, "It'll ease tension between us and help us properly catch up." She was another step closer to him and then she reached for his hand but he moved it away.

"You're breaking three rules already." He seemed shocked when Arturia's eyes landed on him, but upon seeing her visible frown and hurt expression, he sighed, "Alright."

A smile grew on her lips and she let out a chuckle, "We could start breaking the ice by at least holding hands." Arturia reached for his hand and she noted that he flinched as their hands brushed one another. His hand was cold and rather big compared to hers. Gently intertwining their fingers, she looked back up at him and nearly giggled as she saw that blood had rushed towards his cheeks. It was a comforting feeling, his soft hold on her own small hand, the tender look in his eyes; it made her feel warm inside. "It feels nice..." She whispered so softly that it went unheard from his part.

"Your hands are warm..." He mumbled.

"And yours are cold."

Diarmuid turned his face towards the thermometer, "Maybe I should turn up the heat, the classes always complain that it's cold."

"It's fine like this." She did not mean the temperature in the class, but rather the fact that she didn't want him to let her hand go only to change the idiotic thermometer that did not matter at all.

"Oh," he looked back down at her, watching as her gaze was on their intertwined hands, "okay." He then took her free hand in his own and intertwined their fingers as his lips grew into a smile.

Arturia lifted her head and looked up at her teacher. "It's a good start." She gulped and awaited his approval.

"A perfect start."

"See, it's not that hard," she smiled as she felt her cheeks slowly warm up from the contact. Something as simple as holding hands was beyond enough for her because it had been a long while since they stood like this. She had the urge to stand on her tip-toes and kiss him on the lips because they had been together before and she had wanted to continue this for the longest time but that would break one of Diarmuid's rules, so she refrained for kissing him.

There was silence between them for a while and it was the sound of a talking group of teenagers that caused them to let go of one another's hands. Her heart had fluttered slightly once he had slipped his hand from hers and then the warm feeling inside her vanished as he turned to collect the papers from his desk.

"We ought to go now," he mumbled as he straightened his attire, "let's exchange phone numbers."

"I already have it; remember we date?" She blinked.

Diarmuid's blush grew and he nodded, "I don't have yours. I deleted it after I found out you were my student…" He seemed to feel guilty because he proceeded to mumble, "Sorry."

"Okay then, copy it down," She made it seem as if she was unfazed by said action as she passed him her smartphone, but she was quite upset. Although, now that they were starting their relationship again, Arturia shrugged it off.

After copying it down, Diarmuid gave her a nod and walked to the door, "You go ahead first. I can call you later today, is that alright?" He asked, watching her walk towards the door.

"That'll be pleasant." She spoke before giving him one last smile and exiting the room, coming across Jeanne in the process.

Her best friend held her hand straps tightly, a look of anticipation conquering her face. Her violet eyes were wide and she blinked a couple of times before her pink lips parted for her to speak, "Soooo? How did it go?" She chimed, happy to see her friend's face lit up in slight joy.

Arturia cracked a grin and then hooked an arm around the other girl's before dragging her down the hall. She didn't say a single thing until they reached the bottom of the staircase. The girl's cheeks were hurting from smiling so wide, but she did not mind at all, in fact, she liked that she was smiling so much. "Well, it went really well…." She said, her voice wandering a little as her thoughts did too.

"And?" Jeanne chirped, ready to hear what had really happened between the two.

"He said yes!" Arturia clapped her hands, "Added a bunch of rules"—her smile dropped at this but quickly returned—"but yes nonetheless."

The older of the two let out a squeak, "Yay! Bae, this is awesome! So what now? Are you guys going to go on a date or something?"

"If we do, we would have to go out of town, and I don't really like it when I'm in a car for a long time…" Arturia frowned, "But I guess we'll be able to come up with something."

"Hope so," Jeanne gave an optimistic smile, "I'm sure you'll find something."

After Arturia had been dropped off at home, she waved Jeanne goodbye and ran past the gate and up some stairs before having the door opened for herself. The butler bowed at her and then Arturia smiled at him, greeting him and proceeding to run up the stairs. Once in the comfort of her room, the short blond girl flopped on her bed and dug out her phone from her pocket.

She looked at Diarmuid's contact information and hummed to herself before trying to come up with something that they could do together that would not have them staying in a car for so long. Her phone began jumping in her hands and she quickly answered it as the caller I.D. indicated it was Diarmuid.

Promptly taking a deep breath, she answered the phone as quickly as she possible could, "Hello," she greeted, "Diarmuid?"

"Hi," the voice of the man came from the other side and she felt her heart swell in her chest, "How are you?"

She giggled a little as they had seen each other less than half an hour prior to the conversation but she answered him anyways, "Great, and you?"

"Good. I found something we could do, if you want that is." He replied and offered a suggestion with the most confidence he had.

Arturia chuckled a little, "Yes, that would be splendid. What did you have in mind?"

"There's a Christmas tree lighting and, uh, well, I was thinking if you wanted to go. It's about half an hour drive from here and there's a 'winter wonderland' tour…" His voice faded a little hoping to get approval from her to continue.

A smile was plastered on her lips and she gave a short nod, "That seems perfect. Is it out of town?" She wondered.

"Yes, I wouldn't want to meet someone from school, you know." He was trying his best not to sound too formal but not too informal either.

"That's completely fine." The young lady replied and began to make her way to the kitchen after her stomach had growled, "So tomorrow?"

"Is tomorrow at three alright?" He asked.

The girl frowned, "How about Sunday? Guin wants to complete Cuch's initiation; she told us on Tuesday…"

"That would be perfect then… but my little brother is grounded, actually. He disobeyed me the other day, so he won't be able to attend."

Biting her lower lip as she descended the steps, she answered, "Well, you would have to talk to Lancelot or Guinevere about that because it's a strict policy they have." Arturia stepped towards the kitchen, glancing at the living room for a second before catching a glimpse of a dark-hair head, "No way!"

"What?" Diarmuid asked, not knowing what she was speaking about.

"Morgie? You're back?" The head flipped towards her and Arturia caught the gaze of pastel orbs, "Oh my gosh! Sorry, Dia, I have to call you back later. Bye," She quickly spoke before hanging up the phone after her bid her a farewell and running over to her older sister.

The ivory-skinned female stood from the couch and hugged her younger sister, her purple dress being wrinkled, "It's been so long, how are you darling?"


	25. Morgana

Morgana kissed her younger sister's cheeks and pulled away from the hug, "How have you been, sweetheart?" She asked, keeping her hands on her sister's shoulders, "You look so cute, and you've grown up quite a bit since the last time I saw you."

Arturia smiled brightly, "I've been great! What about you? And I know, it's been so long; I thought I wouldn't see you until my graduation."

"Father told me I should come to visit, so here I am. Merlin and I are staying for a week or something." She scrunched her nose, "Oh my gosh, you're in uniform! I remember those good ol' days; it looks great on you, darling, you look so adorable."

The younger female laughed a little and shook her head, "I don't look that stunning, unlike you. You look so fancy like that."

Morgana looked down at her royal purple dress and shrugged, "It's not that fancy." She giggled, "I've worn fancier things, this is just a normal dress."

The girls started to talk about other things, most of the talk was about what they had been doing since they last saw each other, but Arturia couldn't help but notice that her sister had gained a bit of weight since her wedding in the previous year, but she thought not to mention it just yet, "Father forced me to join fencing again, so in an hour I must be there. But what about you? Other than working, what have you been doing?"

"I've been doing a little bit of exercise," Morgana clenched her teeth, "Trying not to over work it. Merlin always tells me to relax and take it easy, he's simply the perfect husband. I'm such a hassle that I wonder how he puts up with me, but he signed up for that when he made his vows."

Arturia giggled again and sighed, "You've finally just realized you were so needy?"

Morgana glared at her sister and then slapped her on the knee, "No need to be so feisty." She laughed, "But honestly, Merlin is such a sweetheart. In other news, I have great news for you as I see father had forgotten to tell you. The real reason I am here is because…" the female's smile grew as wide as it possibly could, "Merlin and I are expecting a child."

Arturia's jaw dropped and she finally realized why the female seemed to have gained weight, "Honestly? Congratulations, Morgie, that's splendid news." She returned the smile and proceeded to wrap her older sister in a tight hug.

Morgana laughed a little and hugged the shorter one back, "I cannot believe father forgot to tell you. I'm already three months in and I told him when I had found out. He really forgets a lot of things, doesn't he?"

Upon pulling away from the hug, Arturia chuckled and nodded in approval, "Yes, he does that a lot."

The older lady's smile faded, "Speaking of father, how is he doing? Has he been faring well?"

The blonde immediately knew what her sister referred to and she gave a short nod, "Yes, he is doing much better. He's been going to some counselling sessions and it is helping him a lot."

Morgana's smile returned, "That is pleasing to hear. Well, sweetheart, now that we've talked about the important things, tell me. Have you brought a boy home yet?"

Arturia sighed and shook her head, "No. I have a boyfriend, but father has not met him yet. Plus, we just got together again."

The black-haired female clapped her hands, "Oh, a secret romance! What's he like? Does he treat you well? How did you meet him?"

"Morgie, that is already one too many questions. He treats me very well, a little too well; he's the perfect gentleman… but that means he doesn't allow things to happen between us."

"Aw! What's his name? Is he cute—oh he best be!" She brought a hand to her chest, "Is he tall? Tall guys are always a plus."

"His name is Diarmuid, he _is_ tall and very, very handsome. He is older than me, however, but we are making things work out," the blonde replied, "We met during the summer but there were a lot of complications so we had to break things off, but we finally fixed most of it."

"Diarmuid? Tall, crazy black hair, beauty mark?" Her sister furrowed her brows, "Irish security company?"

Arturia's eyes widened a little, "You know him?"

Morgana gasped, a bright smile on her face as she brought her hands to cover her mouth, "No way! My baby sister is dating Mister Gorgeous? This is amazing! I haven't seen him since the wedding, and even then I could barely talk to him because the ladies were basically throwing themselves at him. Last I heard he was in Ireland; I cannot believe you are with him. Back in High school Emiya, Marie and I would tease him about his beauty mark, saying it had magical powers to make the ladies fall for him. We nicknamed him 'Love Spot'. Ah, the good old times."

"Wait, you went to school with him?"

"Yes, we're friends; he was at my wedding. So he's, oh no. Arturia, he's much older than you, what are you doing with him? How did you even meet?" Morgana's giddiness had been replaced with confusion.

"Uh," Arturia laughed nervously, "We met during the summer and we dated… but when school started we found out how old we truly were and let's just say things weren't so pretty then."

"I can imagine, but if you both honestly have true feelings for each other, who am I to judge? It is not as if he is twice your age. Are you meeting with him this weekend? I want to see him and tell him the big news!"

* * *

 

"Morgie…" Diarmuid paced his kitchen, "Morgie…" He furrowed his brows, the name felt familiar but he was not able to make a connection between Arturia and the name.

"What's that all about?" Cú Chulainn popped a chip into his mouth as he watched his older brother waiting for the oven to warm up, "Why would you even wear that apron? It's so cheesy it makes me feel as if I'm lactose intolerant."

Diarmuid shot a glare to his younger brother and rolled his eyes, "Scáthach got it for me, drop it." He glanced down at the green apron that read 'Kiss me, I'm Irish' on it in big beige letters.

Cú Chulainn let out a chuckle, "And you can't get a better one? I'm pretty sure that was a joke. But enough of that, who's Morgie? Are you cheating on Arturia already? Jeanne told me you got together."

Diarmuid sighed, "Do you know anyone that might be nicknamed 'Morgie' in relation to Arturia? It's just that it sounds so familiar but I can't place my finger on it."

The younger of the two pulled out his phone and typed in what he knew before opening a page, "Morgana La Fey; kept Mother's Maiden name and did not go under "Pendragon". Older sister of Arturia and head of RB of Camelot in England at the moment. Recently married to Merlin, but also kept maiden name." Cú Chulainn answered his brother.

"Morgana is Arturia's sister? What? And I'm not even going to ask how you know all that." The honey-eyed male was paying attention to the oven, waiting patiently for it to beep.

"The magic of the twenty first century—internet." Cú Chulainn rolled his eyes, "So, I have to go to this initiation thing—"

"Not happening. You're grounded and it's final, you won't change my mind."

"But that's not fair." The blue-haired boy argued.

Diarmuid groaned, "You came to live with me to fix up your act but you are acting the same as you did in Ireland, thus I won't allow it."

"Are you fucking kidding me? No, I am changing. I had to do this whole initiation because the people I want to be friends with seem like the right crowd. I know I came home drunk the other day and I have a fucking tattoo now—of a _butterfly_ —but I won't do it again, I promise!" _The things you do for people,_ he thought.

The older of the two seemed to slip a chuckle but he became composed, "Guinevere told me to tell you that if it still stings—"

"It stings like a bloody bee." Cú Chulainn growled.

Diarmuid finished his sentence, "To use alcohol."

"I'm not getting drunk just to supress the pain. Plus, I've taken like three Tylenols." The boy added.

The oven beeped and Diarmuid put the steak inside before rolling his eyes, "Rubbing alcohol, you know? Hydrogen Peroxide? Apply it and press it there for twenty minutes and it should get rid of the pain."

Cú Chulainn sighed, "If I must." He murmured and stood from the seat he had taken earlier before reaching for the rubbing alcohol in the medicine cabinet, "Tell me when the twenty minutes are up, then I'll take a shower."

While Cú Chulainn was trying to relieve his pain, Diarmuid's phone began to ring and he looked at it, noting that Arturia was the one calling him. He took a deep breath, feeling the butterflies in his stomach—not his back—and answered the phone, "Hello." He wasn't using terms of endearment yet, and he wasn't going to for the next month or so.

"Oh, hello Diarmuid!" The voice was not that of Arturia, instead it was Morgana, "You answered, in record time too. How are you darling? My sister told me all about you two and I must say I am surprised. Here I thought that Diarmuid would never be let loose out of Youth's grip and yet that very boy is dating my little sister, isn't that a wonder?" The female went on and Diarmuid could hear sounds of protest from Arturia in the background.

"Anyway, we're having a family dinner tomorrow, but I want you to come over. I mean we have a huge table and we don't even use it, so bring Scáthach and Cú Chulainn over as well. My sister is going to invite one of her friends and we can have a little dinner. Father will definitely approve of you since you are the first son, you needn't worry about that. As for Sunday, was it? Merlin and I will be joining you, think of it as a double date. I really want my husband to meet you because he couldn't do so properly at the wedding due to the ladies."

"M-Morgana…" Diarmuid had been caught off guard by all the plans that the black-haired female had made, "Are you certain that you want my siblings and I to attend your family dinner?"

"Oh please Diarmuid," He knew she was grinning, "Father would love to meet the children of the CEO of Fianna Corp. He would simply adore it! It is going to be so much fun. I'll see you then, tootles." And with that, the female hung up, leaving Diarmuid stunned.

A few seconds later, Cú Chulainn came bolting down the stairs, his hair dripping wet and simply dressed with a single towel around his waist, "You won't fucking believe it!"

"Language," Diarmuid glared at his younger brother, "And you're ruining the hardwood, this best be important."

"It's gone! It wasn't a permanent tattoo;" he turned around and showed his older brother his butterfly-free back, "you don't even know how happy I am right now. I could twerk, if I wanted to!" Cú Chulainn shook his booty closer to his older brother.

"Get away!" Diarmuid pushed his younger brother further from himself, "You were so gloomy about it that I decided you had had enough."

Cú Chulainn turned around to face Diarmuid, "What do you mean?"

"Lancelot called me the night you came home drunk and he told me it was fake. I've been playing along and I was going to do so for a month but you've been crying about it this entire week so I told you how to get rid of it." The older one spilled the beans at long last.

"What?" Cú Chulainn yelled, "You knew all along! Have you any idea how I was basically planning to cut it off!"

"That's what you get for getting drunk. I should have let you cut it off." Diarmuid chuckled at how surprised his brother had seemed.

"So, do I get to go on a date with Jeanne tomorrow?" Cú Chulainn was back to his normal self as he winked at his brother.

"First, put on some pants and then we'll talk about it."

* * *

 

The initiation party was a small get together. They were in a suite that seemed to be only for them and there was a wall of pictures separate from the initiation pictures. That one was filled with pictures of them enjoying their days or having other embarrassing moments. Cú Chulainn looked over the suite and took note of the furniture and of everything else around him as this was a new place for him. Although much smaller than his brother's suite, it was still beautiful and elegant.

"Gather around baes!" Guinevere clapped her hands and everyone went to the wall of initiation pictures. That was where Cú Chulainn's eyes caught Arturia's, which was giving a kiss to Gilgamesh while she was dressed as skimpy as she had let them. Lancelot was wearing a wedding dress, long purple hair done in an elegant fashion, fingernails painted and make-up applied. Aside from his built frame, he could have passed as a pretty woman. Gawain was skinny dipping with sharks and there wasn't a picture for Guinevere at all. But! Jeanne's picture was simply perfect, bright pink hair to her waist as if she had bathed in a highlighter and some horrid 80's fashion with what looked like an octopus hat on her head.

"We have another addition to the team and that means another embarrassing initiation. This picture is a little provocative, Cúch, I'm sorry. So this one will be up on the top!" Guinevere wiggled the paper before being helped upon a chair by Lancelot and placing the picture at the top of all the others.

Cú Chulainn covered his face because he didn't even want to see it and he heard Jeanne gasp as Gawain burst into loud laughter, "Take it down!" He argued, still covering his face.

He felt someone lifting up his shirt and he turned around to see Jeanne with a relieved expression, "Thank goodness it wasn't permanent. Just like mine, the dye stayed for a week. And hot pink looks great on you," she was giggling as she winked and he furrowed his brows as he had not recalled that the butterfly was hot pink.

He looked up at the photo and gasped upon seeing himself, "Guinevere, take that down!"

"No can do, sweetheart!" The brunette giggled, "Now! Let us have some cake and drinks!"

"No alcohol!" The blue-haired boy glared.

Guinevere shook her head, "Of course silly, Jeanne doesn't drink." She laughed and hurried to the kitchen, followed by her boyfriend who would help her.

"I've got to say that it was an interesting picture," Arturia commented as she sat at the table, "Not something I had wished to see—would rather erase it from my memory—but interesting nonetheless."

"May we never mention this?" Cú Chulainn looked at the green-eyed girl.

Jeanne laughed and added, "I don't know, I would like to see you in hot pink some time."

"Stop!" Cú Chulainn was red by now, "I'm supposed to be the one flirting with you!" His head fell on the table before Guinevere set the cake in the middle and Lancelot set the drinks.

Jeanne rubbed circles on his back all the while laughing, "Cake time!" She beamed and Cú Chulainn slowly lifted his head.

The teenagers enjoyed their dessert and after they had talked about their initiations, Arturia had excuse Jeanne, Cú Chulainn, and herself because they had to hurry to the dinner.


	26. On Fire

Arturia entered her home and quickly ascended the stairs. Upon reaching the comfort of her spacious bedroom, she took a deep breath and searched her closet for something suiting to wear to the formal dinner that they were having. Morgana had suggested she wear a blue dress that she had picked out for her little sister, but Arturia had protested against it very determinedly. Instead of a long blue dress and her hair in a neat bun, the blonde female wiggled into a black suit that seemed to match the deep night sky. She brushed her hair and swiftly set it at a low ponytail before looking at herself in the mirror.

"Father always wanted a boy…" She huffed under her breath before turning away from the white vanity. She was ready to race downstairs and pop a strawberry into her mouth before Morgana called her to do something else or her father caught her munching on snacks before the dinner but then she stopped right before her doorway as she thought about the dinner. Diarmuid was coming over for dinner… her _boyfriend_ was coming over for dinner!

Arturia felt her cheeks become warm as she realized that Diarmuid was indirectly coming over to 'meet the parents'. Alright, so maybe she wasn't dressed like she should have been; a dress would be more suitable for the occasion over a plain black suit.

She pivoted on her heel and stared back at herself through the mirror for a long while, thinking if she should really change out of the suit considering she was already dressed. Her feet moved on their own and she touched her cheek. A certain thought snaked so carefully she did not even notice; _what would Diarmuid prefer? Would he rather see me in a dress?_

Arturia guessed that that was what it felt like to be a heroine in one of the many mangas that Jeanne loved to read. Her green gaze was still fixated on the blonde girl before her in the vanity. She really wasn't as beautiful as Grainne and definitely not as nice as Jeanne… But Diarmuid still chose her over Grainne, and there was honestly nothing to worry about, at all.

Arturia fixed her hair one last time, hoping that the lock of hair that stuck out of her head stubbornly would finally obey, but with no avail, she descended the steps hurriedly. To her knowledge, Diarmuid and his siblings would be arriving rather soon and so she thought it best to be ready to meet them.

It was the voice of a very stressed Morgana that caused Arturia to slow down her step as she descended the stairs. The commotion seemed to be coming from the living room and Arturia tried to lean towards it to hear what it was all about. After having understood that her walls were thick, she continued slowly down the stair steps and entered the living room to see her older half-sister fixing up the room and asking the maid if she could also help her.

Dressed in an empire waist dress to accentuate her belly, Morgana looked very beautiful with her hair cascading down her back like a shiny black river, but the worried expression did not fit her angel-like appearance.

"Arturia, there you are. Hurry and get dressed, they'll be here any second!" Morgana seemed very stressed as she glanced at the blonde, "Oh, Claire, would it be alright if you could move those flowers to that table instead?"

Arturia sighed, "I am dressed, and don't worry Claire, I'll do it." She added before going over to the white flowers that Morgana wanted to shift over, "The house is fine, Morgie, you don't have to clean it up."

"Arturia, everything has to be perfect! Are you really wearing that?" Pastel green orbs overlooked the dark attire, "Please put on a dress; it looks like you're attending a funeral, not a dinner. Father needs to like Diarmuid and everything must be beautiful when I tell Scáthach and Dia the big news. Oh, have you seen Merlin? It seems like I cannot find any of you today…" Her voice was still frantic as she fixed the red cushions atop the white leather couches; she was trying set the house in a pretty Christmas theme after having seen that the Christmas tree was still not up, "Tonight, after they leave, we set up the tree, understood?"

Arturia was sure that they would probably only leave until late at night but she did not say a single word, "I'll go find Merlin and Father." She spoke and disappeared up the stairs again.

Her father had met her in the hallway and gone ahead as the young girl searched the house for her sister's husband. She finally found him in the bedroom with a loose tie, "Do you know how to tie a tie?" He asked seeing she had a tie of her own.

Arturia chuckled and gave a nod, "Does Morgana tie them for you?"

The blue-eyed male laughed, "You know I'm not big on suits. Are they here already?" He watched the female tie his blue tie for him.

"Not yet," Arturia said and then, right as she had finished her sentence, the door bell rang, "Now they are."

Merlin gasped and thanked the female before he hurried out of the room with half a tied tie. Arturia didn't even bother to stop him for she was having a dilemma of her own. Her heart was thumping wildly in her chest but she tried to calm it down with a deep breath; she readied herself and quickly headed to meet the Duibhne family.

As Arturia descended the stairs, she saw her father shaking hands with Diarmuid and for a second she really wished she had worn a dress because it seemed as if he was coming to pick her up and take her to prom or something. To be quite honest, Arturia wasn't looking forward to Prom at all, but something about going on a formal date with Diarmuid made her heart skip a beat.

"Oh, this is my daughter; Arturia." Uther introduced his youngest child as the female reached the last step.

"Yes, we've met before." The dark haired male gave a soft smile, keeping his gaze fixed on the short blonde.

"Oh, really? That's splendid. Was it at the cocktail party?" Uther never noticed the look in Diarmuid's eyes because he too was paying attention to his daughter.

Diarmuid flicked his head to the older male and furrowed his brows, "Cocktail party?"

"Yes! The cocktail party!" Cú Chulainn jumped into the conversation, a bright smile on his lips, "That's where we met Arturia and Jeanne."

The Irishman looked over at his younger brother and finally understood that he was talking about the house party the blue-haired male threw two weeks prior, "Before that, actually. We met at the—"

"Pasta!" Arturia had a bright smile on her face as she possibly thought that Diarmuid would admit he was her teacher.

"Super market…" Diarmuid finished his sentence.

"Well, we met at the supermarket over some pasta." The female explained after having seen her father's confused expression, "That was during the summer." The bell rang again and Arturia walked towards it after having mumbled an 'excuse me'. She opened the door and greeted her best friend who wore a baby blue dress—the same one Gil had bought her.

The girls greeted one another and then Jeanne stepped inside of the house. She greeted Uther with a kiss to his cheek and gave a curt nod towards Diarmuid, Cú Chulainn and Scáthach. Morgana and Merlin were preparing the last bits of the dinner and so they all stayed in the foyer still.

"Should we head over to the living room?" Uther raised a blonde eyebrow and they all gave a nod.

"You look really pretty, Jeanne. Where'd you get the dress?" Arturia was walking next to the other blonde.

Jeanne managed a nervous smile, "Kotomine."

"What? Don't you need to be invited to get into that store? Isn't it really expensive? How did you even get the dress?" Arturia had her brows furrowed.

It had seemed that the girls had fallen behind quite a bit because a maid approached them, not allowing Jeanne to answer Arturia's many questions, "Forgive me for the interruption, milady, but the Lady Morgana is requesting you both in the dinning room as everyone is waiting."

"Oh," Arturia nodded, "Thank you. Sorry about that," she finished and soon dragged the other female to the dining room with her.

As she had been told, everyone was already waiting and she took note that Merlin's tie was completely tied this time—which meant that Morgana was a little bit more stressed than she had been before. Arturia's eyes skimmed over her guests and she gave a smile as they were seated according to Morgana's seating plan, which had her father at the head of the table, Morgana to his left and Merlin next to her, followed by Jeanne. To Uther's right, Arturia, Diarmuid and Cú Chulainn in order while Scáthach sat opposite of Uther; it seemed that the black-haired female had strategically set the table up.

"Thank you for coming to join us," Morgana smiled brightly at Diarmuid as they all were seated after Grace, "Father, have I told you? Diarmuid and I were friends in High School."

Uther let his blue eyes wander to the handsome male and gave him a smile, "Is that so?" He asked as their food was being served.

"Yes," Diarmuid nodded promptly.

"Oh, and he played in the school's Lacrosse team! He was one of the best players in the team, his skills were superb!" Morgana clapped her hands together, "Tell him father of how you were also in Lacrosse. My father was amazing as well."

Uther's cheeks were dusted with a slight pink shade as he shook his head, "Igraine said I was the best and that's what she told the girls, but I was truly average."

"Don't be modest father," Arturia jumped into the conversation, "Mother told us that you caused three consecutive victories in your university."

Uther chuckled and then looked over at Diarmuid, "They're overreacting."

"I would love to hear all about your victories, Mister Pendragon," Diarmuid smiled at the middle-aged man, truly interested in what the man had to say about his adventures when he was younger.

Seeing as Uther had commenced his stories, ones that Jeanne had heard many times over, she smiled and noted that Scáthach was not so interested, in fact it seemed as if she was being left out more than anything.

"So, were you in any particular clubs during your university or high school years?" Jeanne made an effort to make the female before her feel a little more included.

Scáthach let her maroon gaze land on the blonde, "Yes, Student Council and Football." She had a sweet grin on her pink lips.

Jeanne's violet eyes grew a little more, "Really? I'm also in Student Council. I wasn't elected as President because it's a popularity thing, but I'm Vice-President, and I really enjoy it."

"That is splendid to hear." The Irishwoman gave a short nod, "I was the president back in the day," she let a chuckle slip, "It is nice to meet someone so enthusiastic. Do you have any other extra-curricular activities?"

"I have Saturday school and that's about it. I don't have much time for other activities because I work two part-times." She explained, still keeping a smile on her face, "It's hard work, but I think it's best to support my family."

"How did you come to meet Arturia?" The red-head asked, tilting her head to her right a little as curiosity was taking over her quite quickly.

Jeanne chuckled, "Actually, we met when we were children. It's a funny story, really, I was at the mall with my parents and I sort of lost them along the way. Now imagine me, this poor little seven-year-old surrounded by a bunch of tall people; I was freaking out because I didn't recognize anyone, at all. I don't remember exactly what happened," by now, the entire table was listening to Jeanne's story because it seemed Uther had finished his, "but I remember I tripped and fell face first. Not only was I crying because I lost my parents but now my entire body was hurting too. Then I hear a voice above me and it's Arturia and she's like 'It's okay, you're going to be alright,' and it turns out that she was lost too. So we walked around looking for our mothers and we got separated for a little while. My hair was much shorter back then so it was an honest mistake from Igraine's part when she took my hand and my own mother's when she took Arturia's. It wasn't until we headed over to the next store that Igraine noticed I wasn't her child and I noticed she wasn't my mother." Everyone chuckled lightly, including Jeanne herself.

"Our mother's retracted their steps and the soon met each other. They obviously laughed it out and parted ways after a small conversation. From then on, I noticed that we went to the same park, and that's basically how we became friends. Arturia went to a different school during elementary, but I managed to join her in High school."

"You both tried hard to be friends, not many would go out of their way to join the other in High School." Scáthach smiled softly, "It's nice to see you are both still friends after all this time."

"Thank you," Arturia said as she leaned onto the table a bit.

"What part-times do you work in?" The eldest female asked as she cut her steak.

The atmosphere of the room was light and Morgana was starting to calm down as she saw that everybody was getting along and no one was being rude to Jeanne for her status. Jeanne explained that she worked as a waitress at a restaurant called _Michael's_ and at the convenience store every now and again. The table was going around about what they were working in and what they wanted to be, Arturia had stated that she was going to take the remaining part of the company as her sister owned thirty percent.

"Well," Scáthach began, "Our father divided everything _equally_ between us," she stated, causing slight tension between the two families, "Although Diarmuid is adopted, our father really thinks it's important to show equality because he demonstrates the fact that he doesn't favour any child over the other."

Merlin had his eyes on the Irishwoman first but they immediately shot towards Uther, hoping to see his father-in-law's initial reaction. Although he missed it, he was still able to see Morgana's sudden shock.

The brunette gave a steady smile so as to ease the tension that was already very much in the air, "Oh, Diarmuid's adopted? I would have never guessed; you all resemble each other so very much."

"Morgana… I told you this before…" Diarmuid blinked keeping his gaze on his long time friend.

She shot him a momentary glare because he had not played along and then laughed, "I am getting rather old… Or it might be the baby." It was best to drop the news right then before there was anymore tension between them.

"The baby?" Diarmuid furrowed his brows, "You're pregnant?" His voice came off as surprised with a tint of worry behind it. Morgana, a woman his age already had thirty percent of her father's company, was married and already had a child on the way, while he was just a teacher (sure he had a lot under his name), but he didn't have a steady relationship—in fact, he was basically sneaking around with an under-aged girl.

"That's wonderful, congratulations! How about a toast?" Scáthach lifted her glass of wine, soon joined by the rest of the people at the table. In case you were wondering, Jeanne, Cú Chulainn, Arturia and Uther all were served non-alcoholic wine at Morgana's request.

"Thank you. It's going to be a very new experience, a stressful one as well, but I'm really looking forward to it. I love children, so I really can't wait." She smiled, glancing down at her food a couple of times.

After the toast they continued talking about the baby, hoping to end all tension but it never seemed to go away on its own.

"When did you find out you were pregnant?" Diarmuid tilted his head before taking a sip of his drink.

Morgana laughed, "About two months ago," she looked over at Merlin, "I had been feeling nauseous and all so I thought I would test it out and when I found out I was, it was just such a great moment for me. Merlin was the first to know, of course, and I called my father the following day and we made arrangements so that I could be here for Christmas."

Arturia smiled brightly, "And when are you due, Morgie?"

"Right now it's not set, but June for sure." Merlin answered as he took Morgana's hand.

Scáthach leaned forward a little, already having finished her meal, "That's exciting news. Do you plan to find out the gender before birth? Or are you keeping it a surprise?"

"A surprise," The brunette grinned, "I want it as natural as possible."

The Irishwoman was seeing that the conversation was dying so she decided to ask another question as Morgana's husband and Diarmuid had never talked about what they were currently doing, "Merlin, was it?" After he gave a nod, she continued, "What do you do? Do you work in RBC* or with Pendragon Corp*?"

"No, actually," Merlin replied, "I do not really have a position with my wife's company. We met outside of work and I'm a Pharmacist."

"Pharmacist?" She inquired, lifting a dark eyebrow. Scathatch was not in the best of moods; after having seen Arturia for the second time and finally noticing that she was the one that her brother had talked about during the summer, she was ticked off. Her brother was dating a high schooler and that wasn't acceptable, so she was trying hard to make a bad impression so that Uther would not think it a good thing to get the two an arranged marriage—she was also hoping that they would get on the topic that Diarmuid was a teacher.

The male swayed his head, "Pharmacist and Physician; I'm local so it's nothing on a wide-known level; I don't have a high position in any company or anything. I work a lot with seniors and Children in my community."

"Jeanne, your dress is lovely, where did you get it?" Seeing as Diarmuid's older sister really wanted the thick tension in the air, Morgana tried to come up with a random subject to take the many minds off of the other conversations.

"Kotomine and Co," Jeanne mumbled lowly, afraid she would have to spill the beans about Gilgamesh taking her out.

"Wow," Scáthach smiled, "That's _fancy_." The young French girl could hear the sass behind the red-head's voice, it was as if she was being treated like a poor child—not that she was denying that fact.

"Oh right," Arturia recalled after taking a sip of her drink, "You never told me how you got it."

Jeanne was already feeling the sweat forming on her forehead as more pressure built on her shoulders, "Well, haha, remember how I told you that Gilgamesh apologized to me," she laughed nervously, feeling her stomach churn as she had never explained the entire story to Arturia because she knew that the other was going to get a little irritated.

"Yes, I remember," Arturia already had her brows furrowed because she wasn't sure how that story was making a connection to the male as of yet.

Cú Chulainn, who sat in front of the Frenchwoman, was already itching in his seat at the mention of the blond teenager. In fact, he still couldn't remember all that happened the night of his initiation and everything to do with Jeanne had been basically wiped out—he only remembered snip-its of them walking home; not the almost kiss, or her dress, or finding her with Gil that night.

"He, um," Jeanne avoided the red eyes that stared her down, "He bought it for me; it was to formally apologize."

"Wait, what?" Arturia basically spoke for the entire table at this point in time.

There was a short silence as Jeanne tried to find the exact words to say as the tension was growing stronger again and this time she was the center of it.

It had seemed that Scáthach had caught attention of the flame in her youngest brother's eyes because she pulled a smile on her lips, seeming a little too odd for her interest, "Well that's really nice of him. What did he do to offend you?"

"So what? Are you together then?" Cú Chulainn crossed his arms over his chest and then sat back on seat. He never really cared what he said out loud and who he interrupted or who was watching, "I thought you said there was nothing between the both of you."

Jeanne's nervous smile soon faded into a frown, "Uh—"

The red head furrowed her brows, "Oh, I'm sorry, is there something going on between _you_ both?" She referred to her youngest brother and Jeanne. Her voice was sweet still, trying not to sound rude or intrusive because she knew that her brother did not like that.

Cú glanced at his sister and let his gaze land on Jeanne again, "No. Nothing; don't worry about it."

There was silence for a bit before Uther spoke, "Well Gilgamesh seems like a gentleman. It is nice that he treats women well," Uther looked at his daughter as if telling her that Arturia needed to focus more on the company's future.

Jeanne bit the inside of her cheek and lowered her head, _I really don't matter to these rich people,_ she thought and then lifted her head again, "If you would excuse me, I need to freshen up." What did rich people even say when they needed to go to the bathroom?

"You are excused," Uther smiled and all the males stood as she did.

Arturia could see the sadness behind her best friend's eyes, "Would you like me to—"

"It's quite alright," Jeanne shook her head as she interrupted the other blonde, "I'll be back soon." She nodded at everyone and left, letting the males sit again. She exited the dining room and arrived at the foyer, the door looked rather tempting but she was not so rude as to just leave in the middle of the dinner.

Her stomach was churning and she felt her nose sting at the cold demeanour of the male that had been seated in front of her. She had never felt so judged before; not even when Gilgamesh had been rude to her. There was just something about the way Cú had looked at her in that second that made her feel like a bad person.

Her phone rang at that exact second and she reached into her purse to see an estranged number. Slowly lifting it up to her ear, she answered, "Hello?" She questioned, unsure if it had been safe to answer.

"Hi, Jeanne, It's Gilgamesh," the very familiar voice came through the line.

"G-Gil? How'd you, uh, get my number?" She furrowed her brows, still feeling hurt from the people at the table.

There was a pause, "Oh, don't worry about that. Hey, are you free tomorrow?" He left no time for her to answer before he spoke again, "I was thinking we'd go out somewhere. I found this thing, it's out of town, and it's a winter wonderland thing; I think I remember you said you loved Christmas so I thought you'd like it."

Jeanne brought a hand to her chest, "You remember that?" Maybe among snobby rich people, Gilgamesh cared more than he let on.

"Yeah, you looked like a little kid, it was cute. So what do you say?" He clucked at the end of his sentence.

"Umm," something warm filled her inside as she felt appreciated, but then she recalled, "tomorrow's Sunday, and I would have to attend Mass…"

"Well, you're not going to be in the church all day, right?" The boy teased her.

Jeanne giggled, "No, but, are you sure you want to go with me?"

"Uh, yeah, we're friends, of course I'd want to. So just tell me when you finish Church and I'll pick you up. Sound good?"

Nodding her head, she answered, "Uh, y-yeah okay then."

"You're not going to ask your parents or something?"

"I'm sure my mom will agree, I got a ninety-nine on my latest Chem test so I think she'll let me go. Oh, thanks by the way." Jeanne added as she shrugged.

"Okay, no problem then, bye, see you tomorrow."

"O-okay. Au revoir."

* * *

Back at the table, there was silence as everyone finished their meals and then Uther glanced at Diarmuid, "Oh, you never said what you work in? I know that you have part of Fianna Corporation but you have yet to take it, so what is it that you are doing as of now?"

Diarmuid gave a bright smile, "Well, actually, right now I'm teaching."

Morgana furrowed her brows and tilted her head stumbling upon her words, "Teaching?"

He gulped as he had yet to mention a big secret he had been keeping, "Ah, yes, I am a teacher at Fate Academy. Chemistry. In fact," he took a deep breath—he always knew that it would come to this—"Arturia and Jeanne are my students."

Scáthach sat back on her seat, delighted that the beans had finally been spilled whilst Merlin avoided any eye contact as he drifted his gaze to the ceiling. Uther, on the other hand, was not phased for he was making arrangement in mind now that Diarmuid had to be knocked off the list of suitors.

Morgana's eyes doubled in size and she nearly gasped aloud, but there was ringing in her ears that kept silent. She was stunned, had she really been trying to get her sister with her own teacher? _The alarms are already going off,_ she thought to herself, but the brunette soon realized that the ringing wasn't coming from her mind, _OH MY GOSH; they really are!_

The loud beeping of the fire alarm was resonating throughout the dining room and the kitchen. Jeanne bolted in and looked surprised, "What's going on?" She questioned, a little out of breath as it seemed she ran from the room over (Mind you, this is a mansion).

Morgana quickly rose, as did everyone else, from the table whilst a maid entered the room, "Dessert will be a bit late as there are complications in the kitchen." She sheepishly stated giving a nervous and prolonged bow.

"Complications?" Morgana was confused, "What do you mean?" Her voice came out rather harsh, stinging the servant before her.

The maid stumbled over her words as she finally settled on a sentence, "Well," she lifted her self from her bow, "the chef—"

Without giving the maid any time to respond, the Englishwoman barked back, "We're supposed to have Sorbet, what caught fire?"

The maid bit her lower lip and then spoke up, "I advise we evacuate, the firefighters have already been notified and will be here as soon as they can."

"What?" The brunette raised her voice, eyes glossy as she walked to the kitchen. This had been the last straw; her very perfect dinner was completely ruined. It was up in flames—quite literally.

"Milady, I advise that you do not enter, rather evacuate." The maid's voice held anxiety and fear over their safety.

"I will not let the kitchen burn down." After she said this, she felt a hand on her arm and she turned to see Diarmuid. She watched as he removed his blazer and entered the kitchen. She was able to catch a glimpse of the kitchen in the process; the entire stove was on fire and the flames were starting to reach up to their thirteen-foot ceiling.

She almost entered if it weren't for Merlin holding her back and pulling her towards the front door, "Merlin, mom spent half her time there; I can't just leave it to burn."

Merlin kissed his wife's forehead and reminded her with a simple word, "Baby." And with that, he was able to pull her out with a little less stubbornness from her part. He was very stern and assertive at the point in time because his family's safety was of utmost importance. Scáthach followed soon after the couple because she saw no threat in the fire and she had caused enough trouble already.

Jeanne had already tied her braid up with her shawl and was kicking off her heels so that she would bolt to the kitchen to help the male that had gone in.

"What do you plan on doing?" Arturia furrowed her brows as she took a hold of Jeanne's forearm.

The Frenchwoman looked at her friend for a second before responding, "What do you think? I don't want your mother's kitchen burning down."

"I understand, neither do I. But your life is at risk and Diarmuid's already in there; I don't want to loose you both."

Cú Chulainn decided to catch the females' attention, "We should get going; my brother's going to be fine." His red gaze never landed on Jeanne for he felt she was upset with him after their argument, but he really cared.

Arturia dragged Jeanne out and was soon followed by Cú Chulainn but Arturia had not noticed that her father joined her boyfriend in the kitchen when she turned her back on him. It wasn't until they were out of the house that she noticed her father and Diarmuid were still inside.

Her father soon came through the door—giving some relief to Arturia for she still hadn't seen Diarmuid anywhere—and gave a couple of coughs. His blue-grey gaze drifted to Scáthach and he gave her a look of remorse as Arturia quickly wrapped her arms around her father.

"Where's Diarmuid?" Arturia looked up at her father, her heart doing weird flips that made her anxious and afraid.

Uther gave a cough, "Diarmuid is…"

"Dying," Diarmuid coughed as he exited the house, still covered in soot, and he looked at Uther before they both started laughing at how silly they looked.

"Dia, you almost gave me a heart attack," Scáthach huffed as she was finally able to let her breath go, while Arturia lightly punched her father to make him realize that his joke was uncalled for.

"The kitchen's fine, I put out the fire already." He replied, "It's covered in soot, but fine nonetheless."

The Firefighters had arrived a minute later afterwards the kitchen was completely alright—save for the fact that it would have to be thoroughly cleaned so that it would look the way it did before. And since everyone was fine, in the end of the night, they all seemed to have a good time because after the fire there was no more tension and everyone was getting along fine.

Morgana had realized that all she worked for had turned to rubble but somehow it had fixed itself, so she was not as upset as she initially had when the fire broke loose.

They all headed towards the recreational building that was separate from the house after the firefighters had told them that after they gave the go they could enter the house again. When they arrived at the recreational building, Cú Chulainn was silently trailing behind Jeanne to have a chance to talk to her and it seemed that the young blonde had noticed because she soon slowed her step until they were way behind the others.

Her amethyst eyes locked on his ruby ones and she spoke up first, "Yes?" She blinked, noticing the awkward silence between them.

Cú Chulainn scratched the back of his neck and sighed, "So, uh, be honest with me… do you like Gilgamesh?"

Jeanne had hoped all talk of the male would vanish but she had high hopes, "Gilgamesh is my friend, and only my friend."

The Irish boy nodded and then gave her a smile, "Cool, so if we reschedule our date it would be fine, right?"

"Cú… I really don't know what to think sometimes."

"I apologize for the way I acted at the table, I was being very rude. I usually don't see the consequences of my actions, but I promise I'll think before I speak a little more. Are you still up for that date?" The look in his eyes was sincere and she truly felt something bubble inside of her just at the sight of him.

She licked her lips and took a deep breath, "I guess there's no pain in just one date."

Cú Chulainn's lips formed a triumphant smile, "I promise I won't disappoint, dear." He winked, "Is Friday night good?"

Jeanne nodded her head slowly and smiled back, not denying the steady thumping in her chest and her dry throat as she was nervous. They stood looking at one another until Jeanne let a giggle slip, "They might be missing us…"

Meanwhile, Arturia had managed to pull Diarmuid to the side with her when everyone was not paying attention once they had reached the second floor. She was able to pull him into the nearest room with her, which was where the pool tables were set—the actual pool was at the ground floor. She sighed as she smiled at him, "You still have soot on your face."

"Arturia," he gave her a disappointed look, "What are you playing at? Your father is nearby." He also seemed a little afraid, "We might get caught and it won't end well."

"I would be able to tell him that I led you to the bathroom," she shrugged, "You are aware that you and father both scared me greatly." She reached up a hand to wipe the soot from his cheek, cleaning it off his beauty mark, "Don't hide it, I really like it." She mumbled.

Diarmuid gulped, Adam's apple bobbing slightly, before he took her hand and guided it away from his face, "Arturia…"

The blonde female wrapped her arm around his neck and pulled him down as her eyes slowly began to flutter to a close. The smell of carbon dioxide filled her lungs but she didn't care much, she was finally going to kiss Diarmuid. The butterflies in her stomach were forming a marching band and she could feel her cheeks start to burn, but this was one of the only chances she had and she was going to take full advantage of it. If Diarmuid wouldn't make a move on her, she would make a move on him.


	27. Unexpected

Butterflies were filling her stomach with every inch they closed between themselves. They were probably an inch apart and his hands had found themselves to her waist. There was something caught in her throat as her chest swelled up, but she was not going to stop now. His grip around her tightened a little and she opened her eyes a slight crack just to see him, but as she did, Diarmuid pushed her away as quickly as he possibly could, he had a frightened look in his eyes. It was almost as if he was going to run away from the room.

Arturia furrowed her brows, her lips parted in surprise a little, "What bothers you? Was I stepping out of bounds?"

The male took a shaky breath, "It's not that, Arturia…" His voice wandered as he spoke.

"There is no one around, I simply guessed it would be fine to kiss you." Although her cheeks were burning, she somehow managed to speak calmly.

"It's just… It's disrespectful to your father, he doesn't know about our relationship and we are sneaking about in his house, Arturia. It's wrong. It's his house and therefore his rules, and I am certain he would disapprove of this behaviour." Diarmuid answered her.

Arturia took a deep breath and huffed, "I understand as much, but then what is the point of our relationship? We cannot be so much as seen together at school and now at home too? By that logic, it's as if we are not even dating."

"Arturia, we're only one day in, we have a lot of time to slowly get back on track with our relationship. We need to space things out, maybe after your graduation we can even tell you father."

"I am not going to be waiting a year to give you a kiss." She crossed her arms over her chest, upset with the man before her because it was driving her insane.

"That was not what I said. What I mean to say is… just not now."

Both of them heard clapping coming from the doorway and Diarmuid turned pale in seconds, life slipping from him so easily. Arturia shot her head towards the sound and saw her sister leaning against the door frame and smiling. Her hair was slightly messy and her dress had patches of black on it because she had hugged her father after the whole fire ordeal.

"It is very refreshing to hear you still have some values, Dia. I was afraid you'd lost them all when you began to date your student." Morgana chuckled a little, seeing as Diarmuid seemed ready to die, "Are you still going on your date tomorrow? You see, I don't exactly approve of you two, but I don't disapprove either, so maybe the double date that we were planning for tomorrow could make me like the idea of you both."

Before Diarmuid could even formulate a sentence, Arturia was already speaking, "Yes, we are still planning to attend the date, and it would be delightful for you and Merlin to join us. The single thing that I request of you is that you do not interrupt us a second time."

Morgana's burgundy lips etched wide in a smile, "I promise not to do that again, seeing as poor Diarmuid already has enough trouble already."

The young female sighed and took Diarmuid's wrist, pulling him out of the room with her, "Father is most likely wondering where we all went; Jeanne and Cú are already missing anyways."

Upon exiting the Pool room, the couple bumped into Jeanne and Cú, startling them a little. Jeanne had seemed quite frightened as she clung to the blue-haired male beside her, she too looked pale as she let out a squeal, "Don't scare me like that! You know I hate ghosts and stuff." She squeaked.

Cú on the other hand, had a bright smile on his face as Jeanne was holding onto his arm tightly. He could have been dancing—or twerking, if Diarmuid had to choose—over the fact that the female was clinging to him as if her life was depending on it, "Hey there, you really not ought to be sneaking about when dessert is still a _bit late_." He let a chuckle slip at the end of his sentence as he was quoting the maid that had informed them about the fire.

Morgana emerged from behind the couple and everyone fell silent, until Arturia decided to break the awkward silence, "Is dessert still on it's way?" She tilted her head towards her sister.

"I'm afraid it was cancelled." The brunette grinned, "I am also afraid that we have to join the others now."

Nothing much happened for the rest of the evening as they sat around a fireplace and told various stories of their lives. Some were funny and others were sad, it was actually a good conversation for it build on their friendship. Uther mostly talked about Igraine and how she used to be, he even showed a picture of her and it made Diarmuid curious as to why Arturia never mentioned her.

There was some talk of business, but most of it was definitely personal. The day had ended on a lighter note when they all deemed it time to retire for the night. They had bid each other farewell and Arturia had offered to walk Jeanne home but Cú ended up doing the honours.

At first, there was silence but Cú decided it best to speak up, "So, um, what did you and Gil do when he took you out?" It was not the best conversation starter, but maybe this could keep them talking.

There was a sound that came from Jeanne's mouth which demonstrated her discomfort with the question, but the Irishman could not tell if it was a grunt or a groan, "We… just ate cheesecake." Her reply was hesitated and it sort of irked the man next to her.

"Right," It was very sarcastically said that it made Jeanne wince, "Did he end up taking you home or was he not that much of a gentleman?"

Jeanne sighed loudly, "I thought that we established the fact that there is nothing happening between Gilgamesh and I; there is no need to be so hostile. And I cannot believe that you do not remember that. Gilgamesh offered me the ride, in fact he insisted that he take me home as opposed to me riding the bus or walking home, but…"

"But he decided against it?" Cú blinked, not expecting much from the blond male.

"But," Jeanne frowned, "You came along and since you—"

"Me?" Cú directed a hand towards himself to emphasize his bewilderment.

The blonde female gave a nod, "Yes, you were completely drunk, so I felt obliged to take you home because I was afraid you wouldn't make it there by yourself. Mind you, Gil was also against me walking home with a dead drunk male." When she looked up at Cú, he seemed to be embarrassed.

"Well, I guess that jogged my memory…" It was all he could say because there wasn't much he could do without embarrassing himself any further.

Jeanne thought it best not to mention the near-kiss they shared because she was thinking it was something he had done because he was caught up in the moment and he truly didn't have concrete feelings for her. In fact, the French girl had noticed the way he talked to other girls and he was much flirtier with them, so she understood he wasn't exactly interested in her as much as the next pretty girl.

The conversation became lighter when Cú changed the subject to school and soon they stood at her doorstep, "Hey Jeanne," Cú smirked down at her.

Jeanne tilted her head and blinked up at him after she had retrieved the house keys from her dress pocket, "Yes, Cú?"

Unlike last time, it was not snowing, but the cold air was very strong. Her porch light was all that lit the side of their faces and when Cú began leaning down towards her, Jeanne's heart was speeding up it's pace, hammering against her rib cage. Was he trying to kiss her? Her cheeks burned and she was starting to shut her eyes tightly. She wasn't exactly ready for her first kiss but there was something deep down that made her feel at ease that it was going to be Cú.

Instead of his lips on hers, his voice came right next to her ear, causing shivers down her spine, "Your bra is pink, right? I can see it through your dress."

Jeanne's violet eyes grew intensely wide as the male pulled away—a sly smirk on his lips—and she could barely take in what he had just said to her. Most of her anger rose from the fact that he was looking and then the rest was out of realization, "Was it like this at dinner? Did everyone see my bra? Uther probably hates me even more… Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Well, sweetheart, I'll see you at school then." He winked and then he gave her no more time to respond before he ran off.

Jeanne simply stood stunned and beet red out of pure embarrassment; and she had thought the dinner had gone smoothly.

The following day, Arturia and her sister prepped for the double-date together. Morgana had even convinced her to wear red lipstick—with a lot of bickering between the two. Morgana had even managed to get her younger sister into a red skirt that hung to her knees. Black tights and a sweater topped the blonde's outfit off with red shoes while Morgana wore a black dress with a fur coat. Merlin had met them at the foyer at around ten in the morning, and soon Arturia's door bell had rang.

Morgana pushed the younger female towards the door so that she would be the one to open it and Arturia was hoping that Diarmuid was the one behind the birch doors. When she slowly began to turn the door knob, she felt a little uneasy and thus she took a deep breath to ease herself.

The birch door squeaked as it opened and lo and behold, the very handsome man that was her boyfriend stood in a black coat and a green scarf around his neck; green just seemed to be his colour. Maybe Arturia had been staring at him a little too much because he cleared his throat and shot her a smile, "Good morning," he mumbled.

"H-Hi," she mentally cursed herself for stuttering but she shook it off, "I… like your scarf."

"Thank you," he nodded his head, "Are you ready to go?" There was just something about him that made Arturia speechless, she just wasn't sure what it was.

After having given him a nod, she headed out of the house and made her way towards the grey car that was parked in front. Her eyes settled on the car for a little and she took a deep breath—this was the first time she was going to be riding in a car other than Jeanne's or her Father's and it was a little frightening for her. She looked back, expecting Diarmuid to be making his way towards her, but instead, she saw him standing at the doorstep talking to her older sister.

She brought her hands together and warmed them up as she waited for him to join her. It seemed as if the talk was serious because Morgana had sent her husband ahead and Diarmuid only kept nodding. It wasn't until a few minutes later that he headed over, a stern look on his face.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting… You could have entered, I kept it unlocked," he spoke before opening the door for her.

Arturia lifted an eyebrow, "But, I wanted to wait for you, don't worry about it." She spoke as she entered the car, "Thank you."

Diarmuid rounded the car and soon settled himself in the driver's seat before turning the car back on. He kept silent as they exited the driveway and headed for the place they were holding their date.

* * *

 

Jeanne had arrived home after Mass and changed out of her Sunday Dress and into something much more comfortable and fitting for the weather. She settled on a pair of high-waisted skinny jeans and a Christmas sweater in order to match the occasion; since she was in the holiday spirit. All her giddy-ness did not go without attention from her family, in fact, they were all wondering what was up with the young female—her older brother had decided to fish the information out of her.

"So you're getting all dressed up? What's up with the leg warmers? Did you get a call from the North Pole asking you to return? Is vacation over for the elves?" Jean was leaning against the door frame, arms crossed over his chest as he watched his sister prance around the room.

Jeanne's head turned toward her older brother, her braid whipping to the other side in the process, "Do I really look like an elf?" She blinked, frowning quite a bit.

"I'm not saying you look ridiculous… but you look ridiculous." He commented.

"Then what do I wear?" Jeanne asked, dropping her shoulders and sighing, "I've got nothing else."

Her brother shrugged, "Whatever, it looks cute, who cares. Where are you going? I know you told mom it was a Christmas themed park, so who are you going with?"

Jeanne gave a prompt smile; her brother never liked Gilgamesh—not even a little—so it was best for her not to say a single thing, but she was not going to lie either. She simply kept on smiling, although she was starting to become nervous that her brother would soon find out.

"It's not that Cú Chulainn dude, right?" He asked, tilting his head in order to emphasize his discomfort, "He's brought you home twice already. To me, it seems like you two have a thing."

"Haha," the young female laughed nervously as a blush appeared on her cheeks, "There's nothing like _that_ between Cú and I. And it's not Cú I'm going with."

A blink of blue eyes, "Then who?"

Jeanne would not dare lie, so she closed her lips shut after having stalled, "Umm…" It was the doorbell that had properly saved her from answering her brother, "Would you look at the time," she gave an apologetic smile, "I must be off now. Bye-bye, see you tonight." With that, she grabbed her red jacket and pushed past her brother.

"Jeanne, you can't hide this from me forever!" She heard him calling after her as she decended the stairs in a hurry.

Her little brother had already opened the door and her mother was striking a conversation with the boy on the other side of the door. "There's a rich boy waiting for you, soeur," her younger brother continued to bite his popsicle as he walked away from the door, "The car's nice."

"Maman," Jeanne smiled as she reached the door, after saying her farewell to Pierre, "Au revoir, I'll see you later. Je t'aime," she kissed her mother on the cheek and took a hold of Gil's arm before pulling him towards the car; it was a good thing he was wearing a hat so her brother wouldn't know.

Gilgamesh had seemed quite confused as he had been talking to Catherine about school until Jeanne pulled him away, "We're not in that much of a time crunch," he commented, biting his lower lip, "Why are you in such a hurry."

"I can't wait," she laughed and then entered the car.

Nothing much happened between them until they reached the park where they were holding the event. Jeanne was already on her toes trying to see everything there was to see. It wasn't as cold as the weather forecast had predicted, and since it was snowing lightly, she was much more into the Christmas feel of things. The festival was set up as a "North Pole Village" and Jeanne could hear her brother smugly commenting on her attire all over again.

* * *

"Oh, let's try those maple syrup bacon lollipop things. I hear that they're really good!" Morgana chirped, clapping her hands together, "It even looks delicious." [1]

"That sounds rather unsatisfying…" Arturia blinked, "But, it's worth a shot!"

The two females went ahead towards the stand while the male took their time in following them.

"Morgana seems to like you a lot," Merlin was the one to break the silence, taking a glance at the tall man, "She trusts you."

Diarmuid recalled the conversation the brunette and he had had earlier that day and he gave a nod, "Yes, I guess that she does," a small smile lit his lips but then it faded, "To an extent."

"Dia," Arturia called out, a smile on her face as she pulled away the maple candy and then waved her hand so that he would come over, "This is simply superb, try it."

Diarmuid returned the gesture and sped up a little in order to reach her sooner, "Is it really?" He asked when they were only a few step from each other.

"It is. I think I might get ne for Jeanne, she would love it." The young female turned back to the stand and ordered a few more, pulling her purse closer to herself so that she could pay from them. Before she could even pull out her wallet, Diarmuid had given a bill to the vendor, taking the treats with his free hand.

He looked down towards her and gave a soft smile, "I trust you on this one." He said before taking a taste of the candy.

Arturia's heart fluttered a little and bit the inside of her cheek, he seemed to be much more attractive with the snow in his hair and the lollipop in his mouth. This was already starting off to be the perfect for the first date, and it made her even happier.

They visited quite a bit of attractions; they built a present, learnt how to make a fruit cake, even went on some ride that they had indoors. There had been a lot to do, but it was Morgana who had suggested that they split up in order to eat Lunch. Thus, Arturia and Diarmuid walked aimlessly about the park, trying to see what could be fitting for them to eat.

"We can have hamburgers," Arturia suggested upon landing her eyes on a food stand, "There has to be a store around."

Diarmuid spotted a small shop, "What about sushi?"

The blonde hummed, "I was hoping for some meat…"

"Oh, there! Greek." The male smiled, "You can have lamb or beef."

Her eyes lit up, "Lamb." And that was all it took for them to commence making their way towards the small shop.

"I like your outfit." Diarmuid commented, "It looks really good on you."

Arturia sighed, "Oh good. I thought that my sister's hard work had all gone to waste when you had not even noticed it." She was a little sassy that it caused Diarmuid to give her a confused look.

"Why would that be?"

She shrugged, "I haven't any idea," she added.

They were almost at the shop when she heard Diarmuid gasp before pulling her around the corner of the building and gently pushing her against the wall of the other building. "D-Diarmuid?" She almost laughed before he brought a finger to his lips and leaned closer.

"Shh," he mumbled.

Arturia let a smile take over her lips, _It's about time he tried to kiss me._ She fluttered her eyes closed and puckered her lips, just waiting for him to kiss her.

"I saw Gilgamesh." He said and her eyelids flew open for she had noticed that he had no intention of kissing her; just hiding from a student.

"What?" She furrowed her brows and gave him a disappointed look, "You can't be serious." She huffed before rubbing her temple, "Ah, alright, so why is he here then?" Her green eyes rolled.

"He's with someone." There was always an advantage to being tall, you could see over the crowd of people—and Arturia surely couldn't do that.

"Who is he with?" She asked, blinking up at her 'boyfriend', _If you could even call him that_ , she thought.

Diarmuid's amber eyes went wide and he didn't answer the short female.

"What's the problem? Who is he with? Tell me already." Arturia crossed her arms over her chest and pursed her lips. Then she got on her tip-toes and used Diarmuid's shoulder as a boost in order to see where Gilgamesh was and who he was with.

"Uh, I-uh, I don't know. She's blonde, but I don't recognize her." Diarmuid finally answered, trying to seem un-phased by the surprise he had taken.

"Oh, okay." Arturia frowned understanding that Diarmuid was keeping something from her, "Alright then, Let's go inside, I'm sure they're gone by now."

* * *

Jeanne was skipping, the music, the people, the lights; they all had her extremely happy, "What should we do next?" She sang with the bright smile on her face.

"Whatever you want," Gilgamesh answered before hearing loud yelling coming from the earpiece.

"I told you that it wasn't a date, what are you doing Gil?" The lady on the other side nagged but Gilgamesh just smiled through it all.

"Hmm," Jeanne wandered, dancing a little, "Pictures! I saw a photo booth over there! We should check it out!"

"Sure, let's do that." Gilgamesh chuckled, seeing as she seemed more like a little girl than anything else. Then he watched as she began talking about how much she liked Christmas.

The nagging came again, "Gil, what the hell is wrong with you? Are you insane? You are supposed to fish information out of her! You're not doing your job! So much for teamwork here." She breathed, "Gosh, are you going to kiss her next and hold her hand? Or are you planning on getting married with her, what the actual heck Gilgamesh. Get the info!"

"Can you shut up already?" Gilgamesh hissed.

"Oh," Jeanne frowned, feeling a bit of pain in her chest, "Sorry. I didn't mean to annoy you."

The red-eyed male shook his head, "Oh, no, not you Jeanne. I just… I sometimes hear things…" _Nice save_ , he scolded himself.

Jeanne's frown went away and the wander filled her eyes, "Oh! You too? I hear voices as well! They're very helpful sometimes. I only hear them once in a while, though." [2]

Gilgamesh blinked, "Uh…" he tilted his head, "Sureee."

They walked towards the photo booth but Grainne kept nagging at Gilgamesh's ear like a mother. The Babylonian had had enough of her and decided to throw away the damn earpiece; he would deal with her later.

Grainne glared at the boy through her binoculars as she was up on one of the towers, "That snake." She breathed and rolled her eyes after seeing him mouth something to her, "How could he just—ugh! Why is he on a date with Jeanne? This is ridiculous. She's the enemy, plus, what's so great about her? She's poor and so not that pretty. What does he see in her? Gosh, this boy really has no taste in women."

Meanwhile, Jeanne was the first in, she sat down on the little seat and smiled brightly as Gilgamesh walked in. The booth was small so they squished in as much as they could. Jeanne chose a setting and the pictures began. Most were of Jeanne making silly faces and Gilgamesh mostly being serious; but with progression, a smile was seen on his face.

"Okay, last one," Jeanne grinned, "At least smile."

"Alright," Gil rolled his eyes in a friendly manner, "I'll try." Little did he know that he was already smiling.

The numbers flashed on the screen and an idea ran trough his mind—he didn't let it get away.

Jeanne's eyes grew right as the flash filled the booth, for with it, surprise flooded in too. She felt a little confused as the male stood and spoke before exiting the booth, "Let's get the pictures," he recited so nonchalantly.

The poor girl sat still as she lifted a hand to her cheek, which was burning to the touch—and it sure wasn't the cold weather. His voice finally snapped her out of it, "Jeanne, you coming or what?"

Jeanne shot her head towards him and gulped, "Uh yeah…" she replied, noting that he was acting like nothing happened. She stood from the seat, collecting her purse and running towards the printer. When the pictures came up her jaw dropped because it actually happened.

"What? No one's kissed your cheek before?" Gilgamesh commented as the girl had the picture in her hands. Then he took a copy for himself; they were seated there, he was kissing her cheek and her face was half smiling, half surprised. He felt something in his chest and he thought she looked cute, like a bunny or something, "I only did it because it seemed like this was the first time you went out with a guy, so you obviously haven't been on a date. Thought I'd make it more interesting."

He played it off well, and Jeanne believed it. She cracked a chuckle and nodded, "You hit the nail on that. Well these pictures are cute, so I'm putting it up on my corkboard." In her mind, she thought Gilgamesh was being nice to her, giving her a taste of what dating was like, without actually dating him. It seemed like an honest and innocent intention, nothing close to friends with benefits r anything of the sort; just as if he genuinely wanted her to know what having her first boyfriend was like.

They decided to stop by a pastry stand and Gil bought her a piece of cake because she had said that it looked tasty.

* * *

Arturia and Diarmuid were talking about whatever they thought made good conversation as she held a coffee in her left hand and they walked side by side. She was hoping something more than talking would happen, and the whole fake kiss had brought her hopes up way too much. She thought to make initiative, so she reached for his hand.

Diarmuid flinched his hand away and Arturia let out a loud sigh. He turned towards her and saw the frown on her face, so he took her arm and wrapped it around his own. Although she would have been more satisfied with the hand holding, he thought it best to take it a little slow.

Arturia's lips melted into a soft smile and they continued to walk in silence, and the was much more romantic than anything they had done before. The snow falling, the sweet classical music that filled the park and the warmth she felt from his touch—it was perfect for her.

She leaned her head against his arm as they continued to walk around, the feeling in her chest becoming a little unbearable as she also felt at peace. The tight grip on her made her feel secured and she really did want to kiss him, but she would wait for him.

* * *

Jeanne was going on about Christmas again and what she was planning to get for her family, "I worked really hard this month, so I'm able to buy them some decent gifts… I just don't know what to get them, you know."

"Hmm," Gilgamesh was actually listening to her, which surprised him as well, "Do you have anything in mind at all?"

"The usual; clothing. Actually, my little brother really needs a new winter jacket… but I don't know what to get everyone else… What do you usually get for your mother?" She asked, biting her lower lip.

"Ah, wait, you got something on your cheek," he spoke and then she wiped her cheek.

"Is it gone?" She tilted her head.

"No, don't worry, I'll get it." He took a hold of her cheek and wiped away a little frosting she had on the side of her lips. There was a look in his eyes as they were fixed on her pale lips; like a spark setting them to life.

"G-Gil?" She managed to breath, her violet eyes wide trying to comprehend what was in the male's mind. He was so close and it made her heart jump to her throat. Her eyebrows furrowed together and she suddenly became scared.

He leaned in closer, eyes still on her lips and he felt his heart flutter in his chest upon hearing his name slip from them. She made him feel at ease but nervous all the same, her voice was gentle but sent shivers over his body and her kindness made him feel different—like he never had before.

He was only a couple of inches from her lips and he was already gathering the courage to kiss her, but he felt compelled to look her in the eyes; just to show her how he felt. But the look in her eyes snapped him out of the trance and he could see her violet irises glossed over and a little red, _Shit_. "There's something stuck between your teeth." He thought of the quickest excuse whilst he scrunched his nose.

Jeanne gasped and pulled away as she covered her mouth, "Gil! You're so mean!" She shut her eyes closed as she started to blush from utter embarrassment. This was the second time she thought someone was going to kiss her, "I'm going to the washroom." That was all she could manage before running away towards the washrooms.

Upon finding nothing in her teeth and huffing in impatience, she reasoned that she might as well pee while she was already at the bathroom, and thus, she entered a stall.

"Ugh! I cannot believe this had to happen today of all days. The date was going rather well, yet..." The voice of her best friend came from the sink as water ran. Jeanne's eyes widened and she almost gasped before stopping herself.

"This is simply perfect. Now my skirt is completely ruined… I would have to take it off." It seemed as if she did not know anyone was inside because she actually went through with her word. It seemed she only washed the part of the skirt that was ruined and then dried it off, "That should do the trick."

It wasn't until Arturia left the washroom that Jeanne deemed the coast clear and she exited the stall and hurried to wash her hands. The Frenchwoman had not told her friend about being with Gilgamesh and she knew that the Briton would get very upset with her, so she hoped that they would not run into each other again because it would be very hard to explain it all to Arturia.

"Oh, almost left my watch, good thing I…Jeanne?" The violet-eyed female jumped at the sound of her friend and she turned her head t see Arturia confused out of her mind and furrowing her brows, "What are you doing here?"

"Aha…" Jeanne nervously laughed, "You see…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] They are so gooooood! I know they sound weird but like they are beautiful!
> 
> [2] This is sort of a reference to the fact that she heard Saint Michael, Saint Catherine of Sienna and Saint Margerette. So just a little history mixed in ;)


	28. Hold Your Breath

"Aha…" Jeanne nervously laughed, "You see…" She was trying to find the right words so that her friend wouldn't take it the wrong way. Although, finding the words was proving to be very hard, in fact, she didn't even know if Arturia would ever take it in the right way. She bit the inside of her cheek and then gave a short smile, still trying her best to come up with an excuse that wasn't a lie.

"Oh, are you here with your family? That sounds splendid." Her best friend smiled at her, not truly knowing why the female was there.

 _There's nothing to hide, Jeanne, you can tell her,_ "I'm not here with my family…" The long haired female felt her heart and gut sink, preparing themselves for the absolute worst.

"Oh?" Arturia tilted her head, eyes sparking with intrigue, "Then who are you here with?"

"U-um, well…" Buying time wasn't exactly doing her any justice, however, it was hostility—and that was not a good thing at all.

The small white bathroom was filled with the voice of Jeanne's companion who stood on the other side of the door, "Jeanne, you've been in there for fifteen minutes now, are you ever coming out?"

The Briton frowned, hoping she was wrong, "Who's that?"

Jeanne's eyes grew wide and she felt her heart hit her rib cage at an alarming rate. She cracked an innocent smile, awaiting the backlash of her friend and hoping to solve things as soon as possible _. So, this isn't going to end well._

"Jeanne, look, I'm sorry. I really did not mean to be so mean; I was just teasing. You know I meant no harm. Are you even there? Sorry!"

"Is that…" Arturia was starting to twist her face to show her utter dislike for the man outside as her friend visibly gulped, "Gilgamesh?"

Jeanne waved her hands so as to calm down the English female that was most likely about to burst like a tornado at any second, "Don't freak out," she breathed.

"What are you doing with Gil? You said there was nothing between you two over dinner…did you… Did you lie to me?" Arturia gasped the last part—this would have been the first time Jeanne had ever lied to her or in general.

There was a short silence and a grunt from the outside of the washroom as Gilgamesh was becoming very impatient. Jeanne opened her mouth, "I'll be out in a sec, Gil," she announced towards the door and turned her attention back towards Arturia, "There is nothing happening. He's a friend, Artie. I promise you that."

"That is—" Jeanne covered Arturia's mouth.

"Shh, I'm sure you don't want him to know that you are here with Dia and then he finds out everything. Do you? Trust me, there is nothing between us, I'll talk to you later." Jeanne whispered and slowly slid her hand from Arturia's mouth.

"Jeanne," Arturia whisper-yelled at her friend as the other began to make her way out of the bathroom, "Jeanne don't you dare!"

"I promise you. Don't you trust me? Your best friend?" With Jeanne's threat, Arturia had nothing else to do but grunt and give up. She kicked her shoe and frowned.

"I trust you."

Jeanne's lips were decorated with a small smile, "I'll lead Gil away from you guys, so enjoy your time."

"Alright…" Arturia sighed in defeat and then waved her friend goodbye before the French female left. She gave them a little time before collecting her watch and leaving the washroom to join Diarmuid again. It had become a little colder but she brushed it off as she shoved her hands in her pockets and soldiered on to where she had left the handsome male waiting.

She stopped as she watched him seated on a bench, looking up at the sky and letting the snowflakes fall on his face. She couldn't see his face but she knew he looked handsome as he always did. Biting her lower lip, she blinked and began her way towards him. Instead of sitting next to him—as she had initially planned—she creeped up behind the bench and cupped his face between her cold hands, red fingertips matching his cheeks.

Her face hovered over his just as his amber eyes were set ablaze with confusion. Her hair slipped down and hung around his face like a curtain and even if she wished to kiss him right on the lips, she refrained and just looked at him steadily.

"You scared me for a second there," he whispered and watched a smile pull her lips wider.

"Did I really?" She asked, lifting a light eyebrow and tilting her lips to one side.

He could see the look in her eyes, the one she had whenever she wanted to kiss him… and it made him quite nervous. That, however, also made him wonder what was holding her back from leaning in closer. She looked very determined, but all the same not the slightest bit confident. Their eyes locked and he noticed she leaned in closer towards him so he shut his eyes closed, but he never felt her lips on his, but on his cheekbone.

His eyes shot open and he furrowed his brows up at her.

Arturia let out a short laugh, "What's with that face? Am I not allowed to kiss you on the cheek?" She wasn't hurt by his expression, but she was thrown into small laughter because he just looked funny with her red lipstick having stamped the impression of her lips over his beauty mark.

"It's not that…" He mumbled and carefully watched as she rounded the bench and plopped down next to him.

"I do hope that you are not disappointed because you were actually expecting me to kiss you, Dia." She lifted an eyebrow as she glanced at him. She noted that his cheeks dipped a few shades darker than before and she had to hold back her giggle.

"Of course not," he shook his head—denying it to himself because he did not want to dwell on that thought any longer.

Arturia took a deep breath of the cold winter breeze and then let her gaze drift in front of her, where people passed by, speaking to each other and laughing, "I saw Jeanne," she spoke, still not wanting to spoil the mood.

"Did you?" Arturia had to take a mental note that he was a horrible liar when it came to these things.

She gave a prompt nod, "Yes, indeed I did. I also figured out that she was with Gilgamesh… Why did you not tell me?" She drifted her eyes back to him.

She saw him tense as he tried to show her otherwise, he was still as a rock—almost seeming as if he was not even breathing, "I did not want to ruin your mood."

"Well, I trust your judgement… If you did not tell me earlier, I at least hope you would have told me another time." She responded, "Jeanne said she would lead him away from us, do you want to continue our date?" The blonde stood from her seat and looked down at her boyfriend.

Diarmuid nodded slowly up at her and then pushed himself off the bench, "Is there any other place that you want to go in particular?" He asked glancing about, most likely watching out for his students.

"Not in particular," she replied, "what about you, is there any place you would want to go and see?"

The man shrugged but took a step closer, "Let's just see where we end up." He chuckled and offered his arm so that she would hold onto him. With no hesitation, she took it and they began to explore more of the village.

They had participated in some small events but it seemed that instead of Diarmuid being on edge, it was Arturia that could not settle down—she was restless and had been for a couple of hours now, "What's distracting you?" Diarmuid had finally decided to speak to her about it because it was truly bothering him.

Arturia shook her head, "Oh, it is nothing," She offered a non-convincing smile up to him. She did not want to burden him with her troubles but it really wasn't seeming as if she was really enjoying the date.

"You can always tell me what is bothering you, Arturia." He blinked at her, with a soft voice so that she would feel his encouragement.

She sighed, "I… I do not want to spoil our date," she mumbled.

"Your restlessness has me believing that you are not enjoying your time with me."

"Forgive me," she rubbed the back of her neck, "I trust Jeanne that there is nothing happening, but I do not trust Gilgamesh. I feel he might make a move on her or hurt her in some way."

Diarmuid laughed a little, "That is what is bothering you? I was worried you had realized you did not like me." Then he ruffled her hair, "You're too cute."

She pouted a little and frowned, "I was thinking to make sure that nothing happens…"

"So, you want to stalk them?" The Irishman furrowed his brows.

Arturia shook her head, "It is not stalking if I am only making sure that my best friend is going to be fine; she's too precious and innocent to be played by Gilgamesh. Plus, it will give us an advantage because they won't find us if we are paying attention to them."

He knew she was trying to convince him, but he really did not need so much convincing, "Come on, let's find them, then."

It took them a long while to find the others walking through the small snowy street. It really did seem that Jeanne was having a lot of fun, and that Gilgamesh was treating her as best as he could, being an asshole and all. They followed them around for quite a while but the crowds were becoming denser and they had lost them.

Jeanne had found an interesting stand, it was of some maple syrup lollipops, "Do you want to try one?" She turned to Gilgamesh, smiling at him brightly, "The have bacon inside of them."

Gilgamesh shook his head, "It's alright."

Her blonde head turned back to the stand and she was looking at the other treats that the had to offer. They had maple syrup everything and Jeanne was quite excited about it all. She tried to choose the one thing that looked most interesting and delicious but this was proving to be a difficult task. After minutes of staring and the vendor looking at her with impatience, she turned back to Gil, "What do you—Gil?" She had found an empty space behind her and the male had gone missing. "Where are you?"

"What the hell is your problem Grainne?" Gilgamesh hissed as he shook the female's grasp off his arm.

Her face was twisted with anger and she rolled her eyes, "I should be asking you that. Did you fall in love with her or something?" She questioned.

"What do you want from me?" The red-eyed male crossed his arms over his chest in annoyance.

Grainne grit her teeth, "So you don't like her, right?"

"I do not, now let me go back."

"Not so fast. If you really have no feelings for her, as you do say, you would have no problem dropping her here." The brunette rested her hands on her hips as a sly smile formed on her lips.

Gilgamesh rolled his eyes, "Since when did I do what you say?"

"If you really don't have feelings for her you would ditch her, but if you do decide not to prove to me that you do not like her and you return to her I will be willing to tell her the _entire_ truth." Her devious smirk growing wider with every word.

"I really do not have feelings for her." He sighed.

"Then dip," she shrugged, "I see no problem."

"That would be very rude of me."

Grainne scoffed and rolled her brown eyes after crossing her arms over her chest, "Are you being serious right now? Since when did you ever care about acting rude? You pride yourself in being the biggest jerk, even Jeanne slapped you for that."

He spoke between clenched teeth, "I'll leave her then. I'll go and tell her now."

"No, no explanation, just dip. Leave her there to figure it out herself, don't even give her an explanation afterwards."

Gilgamesh was prepared to brush off the female with her hallow threat but with the look on her face he did not want to take the chance if she was not bluffing, so he did as she had proposed. But not without dropping something she could use as a clue and as an excuse. Whilst she was at the bathroom, Gilgamesh was able to get something for her.

Jeanne was looking for Gilgamesh frantically. The problem was that she was not so fond of big crowds and she did not like to be alone, after a while she had gotten the message that he had ditched her and she had begun to become restless and a little afraid. It might only have been six in the afternoon but it was already pitch black, as was common in the winter months of Canada.

Her heart was starting to pound a little as she thought about calling Arturia but she did not want to bother her friend on her important date. She was starting to feel uneasy as she was being dragged deeper into the crowd and she tried to find a way out. A tap on her shoulder brought tears to her eyes and her heart to her throat. She turned around to see her best friend, holding out a lollipop to her, "Are you okay?"

Jeanne's lips were brightened by a smile and she immediately wrapped her arms around Arturia, "Yeah, I'm okay."

Arturia returned the hug, "Should we go now?" She asked, keeping her friend in the tight hug.

"I don't want my mom to see I was crying…" Jeanne slipped from the hug and there were tears n her eyes already.

The Englishwoman ruffled the other's hair and looked back to Diarmuid, "How about we go over to your place? It's getting quite cold out."

Diarmuid looked at the two females and seeing as Jeanne was upset and Arturia was right he shrugged, "I guess that could work, I'm sure Cu would love to have you two over anyway." He knew Arturia did not want to go home yet either as half their date had been following Jeanne and Gil and the other being stuck to Morgana and Merlin.

Arturia had excused herself for a while as she asked her sister for permission. Diarmuid had been waiting patiently while rubbing Jeanne's back as so to comfort her. It took a while for Arturia to return with a small smile, she hooked her arm around Jeanne's and lead her to wards the car.

The male walked a foot behind them and was mostly enjoying the winter breeze until his eyes caught something that had been dropped on the floor. He bent down to pick it up and noted it to be a small tiny white box with a ribbon on it. A little gold tag was attached to it, twisting it so that he could read it without the glare of the Christmas lights, his orange eyes grew wide. 'To Jeanne. You're welcome for the best date ever.'

Diarmuid felt somewhat upset because he was thinking about his brother's evident crush on the blonde female and her relationship with Gilgamesh, but then there was a short realization that dawned upon him… Gilgamesh would not have bought this if he had been planning on ditching her.

"Dia, are you coming?" Arturia called and waved at him, a cough escaping her lips afterwards.

Diarmuid jogged up to them whilst removing his green scarf and then placed it around his girlfriend's neck, "You cannot miss tomorrow, I'm teaching an important lesson that will be on Friday's test."

Arturia rolled her eyes and nodded, suppressing her blush. Then she took the other end of the scarf and reached over to Jeanne so the could share it.


	29. A Little of Everything

Diarmuid unlocked the door and pushed it open before running a hand through his hair. The loud music hit his ears like a wave to shore. He could hear the faint voice of his brother singing along. The older male looked back at his students and gave an apologetic smile before turning back to the house, "Wait here while I make sure he's decent and not dancing in a pair of clover boxers."

After Arturia and Jeanne fell behind, Diarmuid proceeded, loud music making his body feel the bass and his heart joining the beat. _Welcome to my house_ , "It's _my_ house." He chuckled as he saw his brother in exactly what he expected, vibrant green shamrocks showered the young male's boxers as his long blue hair was let loose because it was damp still. Diarmuid watched as his younger brother was vacuuming the carpet and shaking his booty to the music. Clearing his throat loudly proved no effect as the boy was still tuned only to the music. "Cú Chulainn, get dressed!" Diarmuid called and watched as the male jumped in the air.

The bass still shook the walls and Diarmuid noticed the smell of something sweet, "Are you baking something?" He asked, thinking back to a sort of tart that his older sister always made when she was happy.

"Why yes, brother dear," Cú smirked, "I'm making Bailey's cake. I know sis makes it with whisky but I literally could only find Bailey's and let me just say I have no problem with that." The boy leaned back, turning off the vacuum and diminishing the noise greatly, then he picked up his phone from the table, stretching over the Dyson and balancing on one foot.

Diarmuid felt and heard the music lower and soon become very low that he could barely hear it, almost like a distant whisper, "You didn't take a shot of it, right? It cost sixty-four dollars."

Cú Chulainn twerked a little just to make Diarmuid uncomfortable and nodded, "Uh, 'course I did. That shit is decadent and fine as fuck."

The older male rolled his eyes with a chuckle, "Alright, now go get dressed."

"Why?" The red-eyed boy lifted an eyebrow, "Are you feeling uncomfortable because I'm too sexy."

"Cú, please… We have guests," Amber eyes glared at the young man, "So hurry up and change into something presentable."

Cú's eyes widened and he almost gasped, "No way, big bro, who prides himself in chivalry and modesty and even celibacy after what happened with that train wreck is now bringing obedient but feisty gerbil Arturia Pendragon _home_. I thought you had more self control than this bro, just wow."

Diarmuid turned beet red, even his ears were on fire as he was basically cutting his brother down in his mind, "I-It's nothing like that! Now shut up and change! It's not just Arturia here."

Cú Chulainn groaned and walked towards the stairs, "I call half the cake, I made it!" He called and then soon the door to his room was shut with a moderate bang.

Deeming it time to allow the females to come past the foyer, he marched over to them and gave them a confident nod, still embarrassed because he knew that Arturia had heard what his younger brother had said. It seemed that Jeanne and Arturia had been fighting about it because Jeanne was supressing a giggle and Arturia looked pissed off.

"Your brother really has it coming," Arturia huffed as she passed Diarmuid, confirming his suspicions with her tone of voice. Jeanne followed with short giggles that made the Chemistry teacher relieved to see she was getting over what had happened in the park.

It wasn't long before Cú Chulainn descended the stairs and right upon reaching the group, who were seated at the living room he frowned and looked down at his outfit, if his brother had told him that it was Jeanne that had come to visit than he would not have been wearing black sweatpants and the first shirt he could find, which was one of a stupid pun.

"Is the cake ready?" Diarmuid asked, causing the females to turn their heads to Cú Chulainn in a second.

Arturia stared at her friend's crush with anger while the Frenchwoman had a small smile on her peach lips. Cú Chulainn returned the smile to Jeanne and lingered his gaze on her face a little too long before he rounded the couch and sat down, "It'll be done in a minute or two."

Jeanne shifted in the leather seat next to him, causing their side of the couch to sink in deeper and growl under her as leather usually did, "I didn't know that you knew how to bake," he could hear the smile in her voice and he wanted to catch it, so he turned to her and nodded.

"My sister taught me when I was younger, but I only know how to do a few; the whisky cake and the Baileys cheesecake because they are great." He returned the smile as he leaned back on the couch, hair still loose, "Though, I did not want to make cheese cake because it takes years and Diarmuid had no whisky so I settled for Baileys cake."

Arturia made her way towards the blue-haired male and stood in front of him, "Since when did I become a feisty gerbil?"

Cú choked a little and then cleared his throat, "Oh, you heard that…" he mumbled and heard the sweet giggle of Jeanne next to him. The female before him was indeed starting to look more like a feisty gerbil, with her tone of voice and the look on her face, "I thought you weren't in the suite then."

Arturia opened her mouth to argue with him but the oven had decided to beep instead and the blue-haired boy stood from the seat and made his way straight to the cake.

Upon opening the oven, the sweet smell of vanilla and Irish cream filled his lungs, making his heart sink and his stomach churn. Slipping his hand into the cotton glove, he felt the warmth of the oven through the thick fabric and softly kissing his face. After poking the cake and deeming it to be ready, he placed the cake on the stove and quickly placed it on a platter, "We gotta wait for it to cool so I'm going to step out for the time being." He turned around and gave the others a short nod before heading off to the patio.

To Jeanne, it seemed that Diarmuid had become a little upset when the other male excused himself and it took a while for her to understand why. She stood up from the couch and followed after Cú, she did not even bother explaining herself before she walked out of the living room and into the patio of the suite. The cool winter breeze stung her face and she regretted haven taken off her coat earlier. The snow below her feet crunched with every step making her both feel and hear the action.

The young woman's violet eyes set themselves on the boy at the end of the patio, leaning onto the railing and looking over the beautiful nightline before him, "Hey," she spoke up a little and watched just as his head turned and his very own red eyes locked on hers.

"Oh, hey," he gave a short smile as he dusted off his cigarette, "what brings a lass like you so far out?" his chuckle made her smile but her gut twist.

It took a while for her to reach the uninvited smell but even as the wall of smoke hit her, she just shrugged it off and refrained from coughing, "Thought you'd be a bit lonely…" Upon reaching him, she too leaned on the railing.

"Aren't you freezing?" He would rather comment on her lack of attire than hide his faint blush.

Jeanne laughed a little, "Ha, yes, I am, but this sweater is thick enough so all is well." She gave a short shrug and smiled at him. There was silence for a while until she decided it best to say something, "Ever thought of quitting?" The smell was bothering her quite a bit now, and it was the only thing that came to her head.

Cú Chulainn breathed out another puff of smoke and with that, he leaned over towards an ash tray that he had already set up outside and smothered the cigarette, "Actually, I promised my father that I would quit when I arrived here." His voice was a little hoarse, now that she paid attention to it.

She really did not want to nag him because she knew how sensitive the topic was. Cracking a smile, she gave a short laugh, "Do you plan to keep that promise, even if it's a little bit late?"

"Mmm," The boy tilted his head and shot her a smirk, "Maybe."

"Cú…" Jeanne decided to gather up her strength and push away the anxiousness in her gut, "could I please ask you something?"

The Irishman had contemplated teasing her with the usual 'You already did', but he noted the serious tone she held and instead he nodded, "Anything you want to know lass, I promise to answer it."

She licked her lips, and then ran her teeth over her bottom peach coloured lip, "Why did you, um," she was still unsure if she should be asking, "start smoking?" What was the worst that could happen? He'd say that that subject was off limits… actually the worst case scenario was him pushing her over the ledge and off the building but that was highly unlikely.

"Well…" He took a sharp and harsh breath as he leaned a little closer to the railing and looked down at the moving cars; hundreds of meters below, "You sure you want to hear the story? It's quite long."

* * *

"When did Cú start his rebellious phase?" Arturia questioned, leaning back on the sofa after Jeanne had left, "Or has he always been like that?"

Diarmuid was obviously uncomfortable with the question, he did not want to answer the question and so he changed the subject, or rather the person of discussion, "And when did you start being so straightforward? Or were you always like that?"

Arturia let out a chuckle as she noticed he was just teasing her, "I've always been like this, don't worry."

"May I sit?" The man was standing in front of her now, a smile on his lips for he wanted to seem as friendly as possible.

The young lady almost rolled her eyes at the absurd question but she gave him a nod, "Knock yourself out, Dia." After he sat next to her, she immediately—not wasting even a second—rested her head on his shoulder, "Are we going to watch a movie?" She asked as she felt him tense under her touch.

"Uh, um, if you want," he stumbled over his words, she was close—so very close—and this was bad, "what would you like to watch?" He tried his best not to sound nervous or unsettled.

She turned her head a little to look up at him, catching his amber eyes before he turned and his cheeks lit up a bright pink colour, "What's wrong?" She asked, trying to sound as innocent as she could.

"N-no thing," he stuttered letting his eyes stay fixed on the blank television.

"If you don't want me touching you, you can just say so, you know? Or are you just being shy? You don't have to be so shy…" She stared at the television in front of them, somehow actually thinking he would push her away, yet her tone being a little playful.

He took, what sounded like, an unpleased breath, "Arturia, you already know that it's not like that…Now, what movie do you want to watch?"

Arturia lifted her head off his shoulder for a second and then she quickly kissed his jaw. She was aiming for his cheek, initially, but she couldn't stretch all that way for she was still quite short. His jaw was the highest she could get—and they were definitely not on the stage of neck kisses because for sure that would freak to poor young man out, "You look cute when you blush," she smirked, still looking up at him.

"I am not blushing…" He denied, his head still turned the other way, not even daring to look at the female beside him.

She decided to tease him a little more and then brought his face towards her so that he could finally face her, she stared him down, hand remaining on his cheek and a sweet and slightly seductive smile on her lips, "You are too gentlemanly sometimes, remember, I _am_ your girlfriend." She then dropped her hand from his cheek and slid it over his shoulder before standing up, "I'm going to get some water, is that alright?"

He took a hold of her wrist before she left and pulled her towards him, not meaning to fling her so hard to the couch. She landed with an 'oof' and confusion written all over her face. She hadn't noticed when, but he was quite close to her, his amber eyes searching hers for an excuse of some sort. Her heart began to beat rapidly in her chest, that she even felt in her throat. His eyes lingered on her lips for what felt like hours and he was actually approaching her even more… he was going to kiss her.

So, Arturia was not exactly ready for that because it had been so sudden, but she gathered all her courage to accept it; this was possibly never going to happen again so she _had_ to let him kiss her. Slowly letting her eyelids close, she took a steady breath to prepare herself.

"Don't tease me again, please," his voice and warm breath hit her just as his arms wrapped around her in a tight hug, keeping her in place, "Just be a little patient with me." He soon slid his arms off of her and gave her an embarrassed smile.

She was blushing, well…they both were, but she was the one that kept silent, "I will proceed to getting water now," She sounded robotic and very out of it that Diarmuid fell back on the couch upon her entrance to the kitchen.

* * *

"It all started when I met this girl. Yeah, it's one of _those_ stories, haha. So, there was this girl and man was she perfect—okay perfect's probably not the word…" The blue-haired boy bit his lower lip, "Point is she was hot, like _real_ hot, and everyone wanted her; including me, of course. Basically, I was infatuated with her and like any hormonal teenaged boy, I followed her like a lost puppy. Thing is, she only liked 'bad boys' and sure I got into trouble and stuff but nothing that she wanted. So," he breathed, "That's what I became to get her attention and it worked. She offered me a smoke one time and I took it. We had basically been dating for a while and she wasn't the best influence for me."

Jeanne was not exactly sure what to say at this point, it seemed as if he was trying so hard to explain the situation to her, "You don't actually have to tell me…" She found herself mumbling under her breath.

"Actually," Cú Chulainn turned towards her, "I want to tell you; it's better that way." It was better for Jeanne to know the entire truth, if she still wanted to be his friend afterwards; then he would truly like her… and thus he continued, "Okay, I'm a party kind of guy, I admit. Parties are my thing, but that also means I only like certain types of parties. Dancing, music—which I enjoy—and logical 'fun'… Her types of parties were much different; drugs, no dancing but some crap music and overall debauchery—that was _not_ my thing. But when people are very persuasive you find yourself in a place you never thought you'd be."

"Did you get into drugs?" Jeanne questioned, gulping and hoping she didn't sound so intrusive.

"Mhm, only small ones, like weed and stuff, but with every passing month I was starting to go deeper into that world that I didn't like," Cú's facial expression was neutral. He didn't seem mad or annoyed, just completely and utterly neutral, "I came home high or drunk and did not even talk to my father while I was at home because I didn't want him finding out. I always made sure that he was either not at home or sleeping when I arrived and since Dia and Scáthach lived elsewhere they never knew anything. I guess that is the good thing about rich families, they aren't so much of a family sometimes… that's why I basically went through all this shit, though I'm not saying my family is at fault because I know it's all on me."

The female bit her lower lip, she didn't want him to be talking all the time because she felt that maybe it wasn't the time for him to pour out his entire heart to her, she was afraid that maybe she couldn't hold it, "So how did you get out of all that?"

"The good thing about our relationship was that I soon found out she had actually been with someone else. But I kept silent because, after all, I still liked her." She was charming in some way or form that Cú Chulainn was—you could say—infatuated with her to a certain extent, "I didn't leave her until Diarmuid found out that I was doing drugs and I had started to realize that I was caught up in a load of bullshit. I rarely ever fought with Dia before I met the chic, but after that, we were in constant fights. I even punched him once and it was very unlike me to land a hand on my brother—I had never done that on purpose. I also caught her in _the act_ with someone else and that had been the last straw."

"I-I'm very sorry."

"You don't need to apologize," he laughed, lightening up the mood, "Father knew I was smoking, nothing about the drugs though and I finally started regaining my senses with Diarmuid's help. This all happened last year while Diarmuid was going back and forth between schooling here and Ireland, but during the summer everything started to get better and since Diarmuid landed a temporary job here, he convinced my father that I should live with him since he knew he had better control over me."

"Well, I think the cake is ready now, don't you agree?" He asked, a smile on his lips, trying to sort of pretend that they had not been talking about his problematic life.

Jeanne nodded as she pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear, "Yes," she answered and followed him as he headed back into the suite.

"My father gave me three rules for coming here; No excessive drinking, no smoking, no girls— but I'm already breaking all three." He sighed before pulling the balcony door open and meeting his brother in the living room.


	30. For No One

_It was mostly flashes. Her mother was screaming, she was too. The car spun as it slid across the intersection and finally stopped when it hit a pole. Everything went black._

_There was ringing in her ears and smoke filling her lungs as she struggled to breathe. Her head felt heavy right while her eyelids pried open, her sight was blurry but she could still see the smoke fogging up the warm summer night. The white air bag had been stained with something dark that she could not quite point out. She had not noticed the excruciating pain in her leg until she struggled to push herself off the deflating air bag. She did not even dream of looking down at her knee for fear of seeing it completely broken, so instead she gave a cough—wincing at the pain—and turned her attention toward the left._

_"Mom?" She questioned, her voice hoarse and barely audible, "Mom?" She couldn't speak well and so she did not try to say 'mother' as she usually did, it was hard to even think straight at the given moment._

_Igraine's hands were hanging loose as her head was on the air bag, hair—that had been tightly and neatly placed in a bun—was a complete mess; stray hairs flying around her like a halo and bun half-undone. Her face was covered with loose strands of hair and since Arturia was having a hard time processing anything, she could not really see her mother very well. Things were becoming hazy for the young teenager and she was having trouble understanding what had occurred._

_Arturia slowly and carefully sat back so as to not cause herself any more pain. Lying he head back on the headrest, she groaned while she moved her aching arm to the seatbelt buckle, "Mom?" She questioned after hearing the seatbelt click open and it having flown back to its resting position, "Mom," she reached towards the older lady and cautiously shook her._

_Horns and loud sirens filled the silent summer night and Arturia had begin to comprehend everything, a bitter taste forming in her mouth as something rolled around in her stomach, "Mom? Mom?" Her nose began to sting and she was starting to tear up, "Mom, please, I'm sorry." She slowly shook her mom._

_The horns finally stopped but the lights were blinding her as what seemed like a firefighter pried her door open with a lot of difficulty. His voice was strong but there was no way she could understand what he was saying, it almost seemed as if he was speaking in a different language._

" _My mom, she—"Arturia could not hear her own voice—"help her."_

_The firefighter signalled someone over to the other side as the ambulance had finally made it to the scene. The man had said something about Arturia's knee but she did not process it as he carefully pulled her out of the car. Everything else was going back to flashes. Paramedics flooded the area and she caught glimpses of how battered up her car was while they pried the driver's seat open. The left side of the car was completely destroyed while the other car had the entire hood of it had receded to the dashboard and there was a man still inside. Her mother finally being pulled out from the passenger's side was the last this she saw before the darkness engulfed her again._

* * *

Arturia gasped as she woke up, sweat covering her body in a thin layer and her breathing erratic. She rolled on to her side and looked at the time, it wasn't even twelve—she wasn't going to sleep tonight, was she? Turning back towards the ceiling, she sat up from her bed and silently slipped out, making her way to the bathroom.

Wincing at the light as she switched it on, she tried to let her eyes adjust before opening the faucet and stopping to hear the calming sound of the water running. She washed her face with cool water and looked at herself in the mirror before herself. Lifting her bangs, she could see the scar on her forehead and she sighed. Oh how she wished it had all truly been a dream. Closing her eyes shut for a second or two, she turned off the light and headed back to bed.

Feeling the soft cotton against her skin she went under her covers again, reaching over to her phone. She thought about calling Jeanne but the poor girl needed as much sleep as she could get what with her two jobs and all. Arturia also did not want to worry Jeanne with what she thought were trivial matters. It wasn't until the ringing of the phone stopped and was proceeded by a voice that she had truly realized what she had done.

"Hey, Arturia, don't tell me that you're planning on throwing an all-nighter just to study for the in class assignment tomorrow, are you?" The voice was sturdy and Arturia kept silent in order to hear the voice of the man carefully.

"I'm not," she whispered, "Are you marking tests?"

There was a chuckle, "I thought as much, and uh, how did you know? Are you secretly watching me?" It seemed that he was a more playful person when he was beyond bored or tired.

Smiling softly, not forgetting what was keeping her up, she took a deep breath, "I can't sleep."

"You can't? Do you have a fever?" He asked, voice laced with concern and she could hear the frown in his voice.

Sliding her hand over her wound she shook her head, "No, just can't sleep. Can you talk? I don't want to interrupt you while you're working…" Her voice slowly trailed off.

Another laugh from the male, "You never bother me, Arturia, unless you are obviously teasing me." There was silence for a while, making her think that he had possibly hung up. Then she heard another voice in the background before he spoke to what sounded like his younger brother before turning his attention back to his girlfriend on the other line, "So what's keeping you up, sweetheart?"

"Nothing…" She replied bluntly, "I just can't sleep, that's all."

"Not buying that," Diarmuid chuckled, "Now, tell me what's cooking?"

She laughed at his tone of voice, which seemed to be much lighter and outgoing than usually, "Just a nightmare. I've had it a few times before but hadn't for a long time now. Thought I would be over it by now."

"Oh," He hummed and proceeded to put down his pen, "You shouldn't be worried about getting over it. I don't exactly know what nightmare it was, and you don't have to tell me if you are not comfortable, but I get nightmares too." He began, "My biggest fear is—as cheesy as this sounds—people using me to their benefit. I've been through something like that before… where I gave it all to someone and they just crushed me." He stopped and Arturia heard shuffling, "I'm also scared of spiders, ha, like they're so weird with their lanky legs and eight eyes." He sounded much cheerier than before and he tried to make a funny tone that it made Arturia laugh.

"How can you be scared of spiders? You're a grown man." She asked, giggling all throughout her words.

Joining the laugh, he spoke again, "Hey, just imagine like seventy crawling all over your body—ugh." He sounded as if he had a chill run down his spine, "Anyway, back to reality, it's alright to be scared of something. We all are…" After speaking some more encouraging words, they continued to talk about little things and Diarmuid had started to hear Arturia drifting into sleep.

It wasn't until about two in the morning when he was certain that she fell asleep before murmuring, "Good night, Artie," and then hanging up the call, focusing back on the tests he had promised would be marked the following day.

Along with Friday morning came a freezing breeze on Jeanne and Arturia's way to school. They weren't able to get the car out of the parkway because of the heavy snow build up and Jeanne's mother had advised they not take the car for fear of how bad the roads would be. So, with laziness, the girls dragged themselves towards the bus stop, speaking of the upcoming day and the holiday break that followed.

"I am completely embarrassed; I fell asleep while talking to Diarmuid." The green-eyed girl brought a gloved hand to her head.

The Frenchwoman let out a chuckle, "That sounds super cute." Trudging through the snow, hoping to get to the bus stop as soon as possible, "I'm surprised school wasn't cancelled today."

After scoffing, Arturia gave her friend a funny face, "They would not even cancel school for a tornado, let alone a snow storm."

It wasn't long before they had made it to the bus stop and it took a long while to finally get to school, but they weren't late—which made Jeanne very relieved for she thought her perfect attendance would be broken.

The day had gone by slow for both Arturia and Jeanne—as was common of days before a long break. It felt like an eternity before lunch time finally arrived and all the teenagers all but ran into the cafeteria with hopes of being the first ones in line or to get a good table. Arturia had seen Jeanne and Guinevere already at a table and had made her way towards them, a little upset that she had not seen Diarmuid anywhere.

"Hey babe!" Guinevere smirked just as the short blond took a seat next to her.

Arturia nodded at her friend, "Hello, how are you both?" She asked, setting her bag on the table.

"Great!" The brunette almost sounded like that tiger that advertised a cereal brand, "Jeanne was just telling me about the date she has after school, right Jeannie?" Her loose curled locks bounced as she chirped.

"What date?" Arturia gasped, her previously nonchalant demeanour changing with a sentence she would not have thought she would hear that day. Well, she knew Jeanne was bound to be asked out any day but that Friday was not a day she would imagine.

Jeanne sighed, "Sometimes I wonder if you ever listen to me," she frowned, "I already told you that Cú asked me out a million years ago. It's just an outing…"

"Wait!" Guinevere nearly screamed right as her boyfriend and Gawain made it to the table, "Cú? Cú asked you out? What? No way! And you are actually going out? Yo!" She clapped her hands, "Guess who won!?"

"No, they're on a date, they're not actually going out yet, are they?" Lancelot jumped into the conversation, understanding that the brunette did not actually mean going out as girlfriend and boyfriend.

"We're not even on a date," Jeanne argued, her face red in embarrassment, "it's an outing!" She fidgeted with her uniform blazer.

The table fell silent as someone took their seat next to Jeanne and she looked to her left, seeing a blue braid and she could clearly hear Guinevere 'whisper' (if you could even call it that) to Arturia, "Couple goals." Shooting a glare over at the brunette, she turned back to Cú Chulainn, gulping and trying to supress her blush, "Hi."

"Hey, lass, how was fitness?" He asked.

"Yo," Guinevere interrupted, a sly smirk on her face, "What do you think of the name Jealainn?"

"Sounds great," Arturia responded while Gawain gave a nod of approval.

Lancelot almost let out a chuckle—a change from his stoic expressions, "Perfect."

Jeanne suddenly understood and she glared daggers at the female in front of her as her blush rushed back to her cheeks. She knew way too much about ship names.

Cú seemed to honestly and innocently consider it, "I love it, it's pretty cool… What do you think, lapin?" He turned to look at her, using the first French word he thought of that sounded cute.

With his answer, Jeanne seemed more like a tomato. _He knows, doesn't he? He's teasing me… And am I really a rabbit?_ "It's ridiculous." Jeanne replied with a small shaky voice, feeling her face burning like hot water.

Guinevere laughed, "Five against one… Well then." That darn sly smirk was getting Jeanne agitated.

"What's it for?" Cú decided to ask, curiosity taking the best of him now as he leaned on the table towards her, "Something for your blog?"

Giggling a little more, the brown-eyed girl continued her subtle teasing, "Yeah, I guess you could call it that."

Lunch had consisted, mostly, of Jeanne trying to hide her blush as basically everyone in the table gave her 'the eyes', the ones that were filled with tease and mischief. She had tried to ignore them a couple of times but was relieved when they all had to leave to attend class.

Third period had flown much faster than expected, and so Jeanne and Arturia promptly made their way to their chemistry class. It wasn't until they reached the doorway of the classroom that Jeanne was held back, someone taking her arm.

Jeanne turned around but Arturia had not noticed and simply continued walking inside. The violet-eyed female came to contact with ruby red eyes, and she proceeded to bring a short smile to her face, "Hello," She greeted the tall man.

"Hey, Lancelot said you lent him your textbook and he forgot to give it back to you, so…" The blue-haired male lifted the chemistry textbook up, "he sent me to bring it to you."

"Oh! Thank goodness! Thank you, it completely slipped out of my mind, thank you so much. I would be completely lost without it in class." Her smile grew—thankfulness in the corners of her lips—and she proceeded to take the book from him.

Instead of being able to get the book, the boy quickly lifted up as far as he could and Jeanne's smile faded as her jaw dropped. "Cú…"

Cú grinned, "You can reach, come on!"

Giving him a straight face, rolling her eyes a bit she nodded, "Okay." She gave a nod and then jumped for the book, but he only lifted it higher, "Cú." She whined.

The pout on her lips seemed very tempting and he decided to tease her, "Well…" he thought to slyly flirt, "You are my petite amie, so I promise you I won't fool you again."

The girl's cheeks lit up in seconds and she stared at him in shock. Had he… Had he just called her his girlfriend? "P-Pardon?" She replied in French, disbelief in her shaky voice.

 _Fuck, she's cute_ , "You are my friend, and quite tiny." The embarrassment she was in was starting to rub off on him.

"Oh!" She almost seemed disappointed, "Right." She was nodding as to assure herself and not let her mind wander.

Biting the inside of his cheek, he smirked, "Want to reach now? I know you can do it."

Running her teeth over her pale lips, she had Cú in a trance—without even knowing, "Don't tease me too much." She warned, flipping her braid over her shoulder, she had had enough of it today, what with Guinevere and all.

"Promise." He gave her a nod, holding the book a little closer towards her. She jumped up to get it—and even if it was a swift motion—he was much to skilled in this that he was perfectly able to pull her towards him with his free arm right as her hand landed on the chemistry book. Cú did not even give her a single moment to breathe before catching a glance of her surprised lavender eyes before landing a kiss on her lips.

He moved his lips against hers for a short while as he felt her arm drop with the book in hand. Orange juice was the only thing that he could taste and he smiled against her lips as he lifted his—now unoccupied—hand to her neck. Cú pulled her closer and she almost kissed back—almost—if it weren't for the damn bell that snapped her out of the trance as it did to him. Pulling away from her and letting his hands slip away, he tried his hardest not to frown, _Fuck the bell._


	31. Don't be Bad to Me

She was in shock again, completely beet red, mouth parted a little as she tried to collect her thoughts, "U-Uh… Class…" She pointed at the door, "Late. Um," It was getting very hard for her to formulate a concrete sentence but with a lot of thought and effort, it had finally come to her, "I'm going to be late, b-bye." Her voice was barely audible as she rapidly sought refuge in the safety of her classroom; interrupting the teacher for she paid him no heed. _Wait…What just happened?_ She was a little frantic, her hands were shaking and she brought a hand to her lips on instinct, grazing her bottom lip with her fingers ever so lightly.

"As I had been saying," Diarmuid smiled at Jeanne, not truly minding she had been a few minutes late, "We will be preforming a lad and you will have to do a short in-class write up. Basically you answer…" He continued on but Jeanne was definitely not paying attention because the only thing on her mind was the feeling of the pressure against her lips, a hand on her jaw and one on her waist—just the thought of it was making her cheeks feel as hot as fire.

"Hey," She all but jumped at the voice of her best friend whispering and nudging her arm, "What happened? You seem very jumpy and embarrassed…"

After haven taken a deep breath, Jeanne flipped her head towards her friend and signalled her to come closer. With a confused expression, Arturia lent her an ear, pushing her hair away. The Frenchwoman leaned closer and clasped a hand around her friend's ear before whispering (As hurriedly as she could) what exactly had occurred in the simplest of terms.

"Wait! He what?!" The shorter female yelled out, catching the attention of everyone in the class, causing slurs to fill the room as the poor violet-eyed girl became more embarrassed than before.

"Girls," The teacher shot them a warning look, a small disappointed frown on his lips, "You can discuss your gossip after class. Right now, please prepare for the lab;" He then drifted his attention towards the entire class, "Remember lab coats, goggles, gloves… Tie back your long hair. I shouldn't be reminding you all this because our semester is almost over and you've all had years of proper lab etiquette practice." He instructed, "I had seen that people did not tie their hair back in the last lab; not only does that ruin your lab results but you can leave the class without any hair it we are working with Bunsen burners or acidic and reactive chemicals…"

Jeanne had a sliver of hope that the goggles could hide her eyes and not let other people see what she was truly feeling—which was clearly a lie, "So, Borax, right?" Jeanne looked over at the chemicals that they had to gather. Without a single word, both the girls understood that the were partners—as they always were.

"Yes, Borax… and food colouring? What is that for?" Arturia furrowed her brows while gathering the rest of the chemicals the needed.

Shrugging, the taller of the two responded, "I haven't any idea, probably because it was chemical properties or something?"

"So," Arturia did not let her friend off the hook with not telling her the details, "What exactly happened with Cú? I surely must have misheard you." Of course she was teasing the other; but there was no way school would end without Arturia being the first to know about Jeanne's first kiss.

Jeanne's cheeks lit up as if on cue, nearly matching the red food colouring that Arturia was holding in her hand, "I-it happened too fast…" She was trying to find the words that would make her less embarrassed, "He was, um, giving me a book back; the Chem book. Et tout a suite! H-He pulled me in et il me… b-baisee!"

Jeanne only spoke in French to Arturia in two separate occasions; when she was excited and when she was completely and utterly afraid… but Arturia could not tell how the other was feeling this time around. _Surely she must be excited… it's only logical as her crush just kissed her_ , Arturia analyzed the situation, _But it was her first kiss and she dislikes it when someone suddenly approaches her—she even gets scared to a certain extent._

"Alright, Jeanne, take a deep breath and repeat that in English, I am not fluent in French yet and you spoke much too fast that I was unable to follow along." Arturia shook her head, "English, and calm, please."

Taking into consideration Arturia's advice, Jeanne spoke in English—hushed and broken but English nonetheless, "He k-k-kissed mmme."

Alright, so she had not misheard the first time around, "How, um, did this happen?"

Covering her cheeks, as if that could stop the burning sensation, the French girl shook her head rapidly, "It happened so fast, I told you. Ah! Now how am I supposed to face him after school? How?!"

"Girls," the deep voice made them both jump in the air, making Arturia squirt the crimson red food colouring in the air. Green eyes followed the red trail until it landed on blond hair and a man's face—the one that had scared them.

They all gasped in unison but Arturia secretly thought, _Serves him right for scaring us like that_ , "I apologize," Arturia mumbled to both her teacher and Jeanne.

Jeanne absentmindedly reached for her hair and almost robotically patted it before looking back at her hand; vibrant red staining it, "Arturia…" She pouted, "Now how am I really going to face him?" She laughed.

Diarmuid rubbed the liquid off his face and laughed along with Jeanne, causing Arturia to join them, "That is what happens when you're not working on the lab; lucky it wasn't HCl. Now hop to it."

Their laughter died down and Arturia noted that he had failed to remove all the food colouring. Instinctively lifting her hand, she wiped the droplet on his cheek, watching as his amber eyes grew with every second that her hand lingered, a blush conquering his cheeks.

It wasn't until Jeanne had pulled Arturia towards the experiment bench that they were snapped out of their little world, "What do you think you're doing?" Jeanne hushed over at her best friend as Diarmuid excused himself and hurried out back towards the science office, "Are you crazy?"

"What?" Arturia whined as she shook off her friend's grip, "We didn't do anything."

"You are so dumb sometimes." Jeanne rolled her eyes, "Anyway, let's do this lab."

After finally finishing, they realized the Mister Ua Duibhne had put them to make silly putty and since it had not taken the entire period, they had made about six sets of silly putty of all different colours—Arturia's favourite was the one that had a rich blood colour, she kept showing it off and saying it looked like a heart. The questions were quite easy as well, simple ones and it had seemed that the young teacher had tried to make the class as enjoyable as possible since it was the day before the Holiday break.

"Alright class, hope you liked the class. Marks still count for this as I thought it would be a great mark booster. The class average as of now is a seventy-three," Diarmuid leaned forwards on the demonstration bench, "I'm aiming for an eighty by the end of the term; but whatever I end up with doesn't matter because you are a great class, and I could not have asked for a better one as my first time teaching." His smile was warm and genuine, causing some girls in the class to sigh, "Remember, if you ever need help, you know where to find me; I want all of you to make it to university. Happy holidays guys and see you back here next year." He waved at the class and then looked at the clock seeing as there was still a few minutes until the bell would ring, "you are dismissed, you can leave early."

Rowdiness filled the class as everyone prepared to go home for the holidays. People started making plans and slowly trickled out of class. Girls not failing to try and woo the teacher or pout that they were going to miss him. As always—since Grainne had skipped for the day—Arturia and Jeanne were the last ones in the classroom.

"Jeanne, you can go ahead," Arturia smiled, "I'll meet you at the lockers. I just need to ask Sir a question."

Nodding, Jeanne gave her friend a thumbs up before exiting the classroom. Thinking that no one would be waiting for her, Jeanne was surprised to see Gil standing by the doorway. Closing the door shut behind herself, she tried to divert the man's attention from what was happening in the classroom, "Gilgamesh!" Jeanne smiled brightly as the man lifted his head, "What brings you to my class? You don't even like Chem."

Gilgamesh almost—almost is the keyword here—seemed out of it, there was a slight frown on his lips if you looked close enough, "There you are midget." He sighed, there was even a tone to his insults that made it nearly seem as if there was something off.

Jeanne lifted her brows, "That is an offensive word." She crossed her arms.

Waving his hand, he pushed himself off the wall, "I saw you before class…" His voice wandered.

 _Before class? He saw Cú kiss me? Oh no! O-Okay, play it cool! It's not like he really knows what's going on… Why do I even feel guilty, though?_ "U-Uh, w-what do you mean?" She chuckled and brushed it off, anxiety filling her being.

Gilgamesh ran a hand through his hair, taking a deep breath, "I wanted to talk to you, but you seemed to be in a rush."

"O-oh!" _So he really didn't see anything, that's a relief,_ she brought a hand to her chest, trying to calm down her beating heart, "What did you want to say?"

He seemed to intently look at something in her head and she became very self conscious as he brought a hand to her head, "You've got something red in your hair, here let me—"

Jeanne let out a laugh and took his hand, giving it back to him, "Haha, Arturia squirted food colouring on it by accident. Don't worry about it, Diarmuid said it doesn't stain."

"Diarmuid?" Gilgamesh caught the name quicker than lightening, "What?"

 _I sure suck!_ "Aha," _Think of something quick, idiot!_ "Oh, since he was my tutor I still call him Diarmuid, it slips my mind sometimes, silly me."

"I wanted to ask you what you were up to today? I was thinking we could hang out." The red-eyed boy was almost aimlessly walking about, leading her to her locker.

Frowning as he heart swelled in her chest she began, "I'm very sorry Gil," she took a short breath in between, "I have prior engagements for today. But maybe—" _Is it a good idea to hang out with Gil if Cú and I are together? But wait! Cú and I are not_ together _yet._

"You can cancel your plans; I'm much more important." He frowned, "Clearly you can drop whatever it is you're doing."

She shook her head, "I'm sorry, no." He sighed, "No. Gil, it doesn't work that way. I promised that I would attend my meeting."

Gilgamesh shot her a glare, "You don't seem to understand that I am more important. I'm Gilgamesh and whoever you're meeting with today is not as great as I am."

Jeanne slowly nodded, "But my promise is much more important, Gil. I promise to meet you during the break—tomorrow even."

"Why do you care so much about that mutt; _Cú_?" Right as Gilgamesh had spoken his hiss, the girl's amethyst eyes grew wide, her jaw dropping at the tone of voice he spoke.

* * *

Meanwhile, Arturia was currently sitting on the demonstration bench as Diarmuid was finishing up with organizing the papers he had collected a few minutes before the bell rang. The female was swinging her legs back and forth while following the man with her eyes, "What are you doing for Christmas?" She asked, pursing her lips together.

"I'm planning to hold a dinner at home. Cú and Scáthach will obviously come but my father might visit." Diarmuid smiled over at his girlfriend, a bright look in his eyes.

"Father?" Arturia tilted her head, unsure if she should ask if he was referring to his adoptive or his paternal father.

The dark-haired man seemed to understand the thought process of Arturia because he answered her lingering question, "Adoptive."

After he had finished packing, Arturia made sure to pull him towards her by the sleeve of his lab coat. She set him in front of herself and placed his hands on either side of her.

"Arturia," the man warned, "A rule is being broken right now…"

Green eyes gave a prompt roll and she shrugged, "Just for a second, alright?" She tilted her head and straightened her back, just so that she could seem a bit more confident about her statement.

Sighing, Diarmuid nodded, "Just this once, though," He brought his index finger up to emphasize his exception.

A small smile snaked on her lips and she placed her own hands on his shoulders, "Lab coats look great on you," Then she stopped to correct herself, "well, _everything_ looks great on you."

Diarmuid tried to chuckle his blush away—he usually never blushed when girls complimented him because he'd gotten used to it but Arturia really made him come undone in seconds. Breathing out, he landed a hand on her waist, "As do you."

Arturia let out an exaggerated laugh, "You need not flatter me," she smiled and they were much closer now. With the fact that Jeanne and Cú had kissed earlier that day, Arturia was determined to get more than just hand holding with Diarmuid.

"How about we do something for Christmas?" Arturia asked, her arms already hooked around his neck as he had his on her waist, "Obviously not on the day of your big dinner. We could do it a day before or the day after… whatever you would feel comfortable with."

"Of course, I would really love to." He grinned but his smile soon faded as he looked at her in the eyes, "Hey, did you get to sleep well?"

"U-uh," Arturia averted her gaze towards the window on her left, "Yeah, I guess."

He lifted a hand up to her cheek and gently brushed it, "You can tell me whenever you're ready."

There was silence between them and the gap between the slowly began to close before a knock on the door had Arturia jumping off the demonstration bench and (after a split second of wondering where she could hide) she hid under the demonstration bench—it was a good thing that the demonstration bench was closed on every other side.

"Hello sir!" Arturia cringed at the voice when she realized how irritating it truly was.

Diarmuid pulled a smile, ignoring the anxiety in his gut, "Grainne, what brings you here? You weren't in class today…"

"Ah," She nodded, "Yes, I'm sorry. I tried my best to make it but my mother had arranged a modelling gig for me. I came to ask for a shot at the assignment…"

The Irishman frowned again, "I am very sorry but you cannot. It wouldn't be fair for you to do the assignment if others came to class and you did not. I'm sorry."

"But, Diarmuid," She whined, stomping her foot almost like a little child.

Shaking his head, he reaffirmed his statement, "First; Mister Ua Duibhne." He corrected her, "And second, "I already said that I could not. I can give you the instructions for the lab and you may preform it at home, but I will not let you do the questionnaire."

"I-I see…" Grainne frowned and bit her lower lip, "Oh, I'll be having a Christmas party and I wanted to invite you. What do you say?"

"I am sorry but I cannot attend, as your teacher it is not right." He explained as best as he could while still being political about it.

Grainne had seemed quite upset about it because she averted her gaze from him for a second as she recollected her thoughts and returned to his eyes with a bright smile on her face, all while she tried to hide how hurt she truly was, "Oh, of course, but Fionn is coming and there really isn't anything going on between us... Think of it as you attending as my family member."

"As far as I am aware, family members do not flirt with each other. I am deeply sorry, Miss Mac Airt, but I will not be attending out of respect for my uncle and for my teaching position, with all due respect." He had recalled that the previous Mac Airt Christmas party had been stored with mischief from the female's part. And he would still not forgive her for the time she kissed himwithout permission (not that he would have allowed her anyways).

The brunette gave a small nod, smile still on her lips, "I will be asking father for the favour of inviting you, maybe you are able to make it then, until later, sir..."

Without another single exchange of words,, the female turned about and took off. It wasn't until a few minutes after leaving the class that Diarmuid had helped Arturia er the table, "I'm sorry you had to wait there..."

Arturia was some what upset that she had to hide but she understood that Diarmuid was completely afraid that he would be found out, so she would rather keep silent, "Are you going home now?" She understood that Grainne had ruinned their moment and they weren't going to jump back at it-especially not with an overly shy and anxious Diarmuid.

"Ah," He gave a short nod, "Yes, I would think it best."

Slinging her bag over her shoulder, she smiled up at the man, "Can I come over? I have nothing else to do..." She was looking hopeful, and she knew she was going for a long shot, but someone once said that it was worth a shot.

Diarmuid fllipped his head towards her in seconds and he seemed surprised at first but then he took a second to think aboout it. Arturia was probably starting to get bored with all the rules he had set up and with the fact that they barely got to spend some time together, so he shook his head to clear his mind and nodded, "Yes, I'm sure that would be fine." He replied, giving her a short smile.

She grinned and lowered her head, "Awesome," her voice was a low mumble and she felt him ruffle her hair before leading her out of the classroom.

* * *

"Gil," Jeanne furrowed her brows as she tilted her head slightly, "why would you say that? I know you don't like him but that gives you no reason to call him names."

Gilgamesh rolled his eyes, "I can say what I want, Jeanne."

"Not when it offends other people, Gil, you need to be more mindful of people." Her words were sturdy and so was her voice, she was never truly afraid t speak out against someone or something, and Gil was no exception to that rule, "He's my friend and I would really appreciate it if you would respect him."

"Friend?" The Babylonian scoffed, he had sass aand disbelief written all over his face, "Your friend? Friends don't kiss one another, Jeanne."

She was caught off-guard with this statement, stumbling back a little with the intensity of his voice. She blinked, her eyes filled with regret of maybe having offended him, "G-Gil?"

Gilgamesh huffed, "Whatever, screw it. See you maybe never."

"Drama queen." A voice had caught them unprepared, making both the blonde teenagers whip their head towards the new person that joined their dispute, "Do you have to take your jealousy out on Jeanne, why can't you say it like a man?"

Gil's eyes turned to slits as they landed on the man he had so criticized, "Look at what the cat dragged in... What brings you here, mutt?" He eyed the blue-haired boy up and down.

Cú chuckled a little, "I'll have you know that I'm a pure breed, " he snickered, "So what do you want from Jeanne."

Said girl was completely and Utterly stunned, she gulped, supressing the sudden nerves that were forming a knot in her stomach and making her hands all clamy, "G-guys please..." she pleaded for them to end their hostility.

The blue-haired boy shot her a smile, "Shouldn't we be off?" He asked, trying to seem innocent.

Gilgamesh, however, seemed to have a new found determination to make Jeanne stay, or at least ruin her date with Cú, "Actually, I wanted to ask you something. I wasn't able to so so throughout the week. Did you have fun on Sunday? I do apologize for having left you without an explination... I had a family issue. But to make up for that, I hope you were able to retrieve the gift I left for you."

"Gift?" Jeanne tilted her head, "I did not recieve one."

"Sunday?" Cú was quite confused, "What does he mean by Sunday?"

Gilgamesh shrugged, "Jeanne and I went on a date the other day." He shrugged, "and she promised to see me tomorrow as well."

Frowning, the Irishman turned towards Jeanne, "That doesn't matter. Jeanne and I are going on a date today, so we should be off now." He then made his way towards the girl and took a hold of her hand, pulling her towards himself and leaving the other male behind.

"Cú..." Jeanne mumbledd a little bit.

"What is it?" The boy asked, still dragging Jeanne along towards the parking lot.

She glanced down at their inntertwined hands and sighed, "I can walk by myself, you know that?"

"I know, can I just hold your hand? I want to make sure that you know I'm a better choice over Gilgamesh, who prides himself in being so great."

"If you're criticizing him, you're no better than him, Cú." Her lips were then pursed in a straight line a she tried to convey her dissappointment in the two teenagers that seemed more like dogs fighting over a scrap of meat than civilized humans.

The boy squeezed her hand, "I know... Anyways, let's just go on our date now. By the way, I don't mind if you really did go on a date with Gil, I'm sure you didn't consider that a date, as you don't consider today a date as well." He was looking straight ahead, not even glancing at her because he was starting to chicken out, "I like you... quite a bit. To be honest, it was because you are hot that I first liked you but, you're a great person and..." his words faded and he slowly came to a stop. Turning his body towards her and squeezing her hand a little tighter, "I'm quite serious about you, so please accept my feelings."

Her heart had jumped to her throat and she was struck with a coghing fit, filling the empty and silent hallway with her crazy fit. She had only heard these confessions in K-dramas or Shoujo animes but never had she imagined that there would be a boy standing before her and pouring his heart out to her.

Cú patted her back softly, worried that she was choking, "Are you alright?" His voice was laced with concern over her.

After she controlled her coughs and her breathing, she gave a nod, "Y-yes, I'm sorry for worrying you. Just um, saliva down my breathing hole."

"Oh," the boy chuckled, "as long as you're alright. So, do you accept my feelings?"

This was revolutionary! A boy, a real life boy, was asking her out out, like out out! Her cheeks gradually filtered into bright and radiant rubies. Her heart hammered in her chest and there was something twisting in her stomach.

"Are you scared?" Cú ran his teeth over his bottom lip, "I really am sorry to have scared you."

"That isn't it!" She brought her hands to her chest as if to suppress her beating heart, "I was just surprised. Sorry."

"Good, I thought you probably didn't like me," he scratched the back of his head, "I was a litte afraid there."

She slowly nodded, "Yeah, nothing like that."

"Cool, so, would you like to be my girlfriend?" He seemed a bit anxious with the question, anticipating her answer while biting his cheek to suppress his nerves and not seem very dependent on her answer.

A million thoughts ran through her mind, some unimportant and some that were stuck at the top of her mind, "I need to ask my parents first." She blinked, that was one of the reasons but the other was the guilt she began to feel when she thought of Gilgamesh; the dreadful feeling was biting her like the harsh winter.

"Your parents?" Cú furrowed his brows in confusion.

She lowered her gaze and nodded, "I respect my parents decision all the time."


	32. Every Second

Arturia was beyond delighted to be standing in Diarmuid's living room at the given moment, for sure this beat hiding under a desk in case someone came in. She had made sure to lock the door after Diarmuid had tried to lead her to said living room. She looked outside the huge window and watched as the cold weather enraptured the city.

The male was currently making hot chocolate for the both of them and Arturia was—innocently—undressing. She had left her school blazer at the front closet and now she was untying her tie and pulling her knee-highs to her ankles. It wasn't as if she was doing it to seduce the man, but if that happened along the way, she definitely would not mind.

She let her hair fall free from the pony tail and she knew that there was a huge ump in her hair because of it. Trying to pat down the bump, she was interrupted by Diarmuid clearing his throat, "Oh, here, let me help you." Arturia walked towards the man, offering to take a mug from his hand but he refused and insisted he set them on the coffee table instead.

"What happened with your uniform?" His brows were furrowed as he looked her up and down, "It almost seems as if you got attacked or something." He was laughing lightly.

"I take it the seducing did not work," she frowned, "I was hoping you could lend me a change of clothes because there's so much I can do in a skirt and I feel a bit restricted in this shirt…"

He snuck a glance at her—not so subtly—and nodded, "I'll see what I can do."

Arturia smiled as she watched the man leave and go up the stairs. She proceeded to unbuttoning her white dress shirt—obviously having an undershirt. By the time he came down the stairs, he stopped in his tracks right as he saw her and quickly turned around, "I apologize for intruding."

"You can turn around; it is not as if I am naked." Arturia laughed as she walked towards him. An idea popped into her mind and she snaked her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly, "You're too cute."

He shuffled about in her arms and lifted her face up so she could face him. He dropped the change of clothes and pulled her into a hug, "You are as well."

Her heart fluttered, and she tightened her grip around him, "Thank you," her voice was muffled by his chest as she snuggled her head into it, "I like you."

She felt a kiss on her head and he seemed to have muffled something else before slowly pulling away from her, "Okay, come on and get changed." He was smiling down at her, handsome and kind.

Her hands were still resting on his waist and she looked up at him, her green eyes locking with his amber ones, "Who's Youth?" She recalled the name from when Morgana was mentioning how he was untouchable back in high school.

It seemed that the question triggered something within him and he slid from her arms—as gently as he could—and quickly caught attention of his hot chocolate, "Did they get cold?" He asked himself.

Frowning, she sighed and understood that she was not going to get an answer from him any time soon, so she gave up, sitting down on the couch and grabbing a blue mug, "No, they're still warm," She pursed her lips together, "Can I change here? Bathrooms are tedious."

"Then I'll get us a slice of cake." He immediately walked out and she went through with what she had asked. By the time he returned with a vanilla cake in hands, she was dressed in a green t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants, her clothes neatly folded on the armchair.

He smiled at seeing how small and delicate she looked in his clothes, it was very refreshing. He noted her hair was up in a ponytail again and he gave a little sighed, "I think you look very pretty with your hair down."

She looked at him through her eyelashes and she slowly gave a nod, "I can take it down, if you want."

Diarmuid shook his head, "Oh, no, if you feel comfortable with it up, I have no say in the matter."

She untied it again, as he too a seat next to her and then she leaned against him, "Can I hug you?" She asked, her voice soft as she held onto the warm mug tightly, as if her life depended on it.

"Of course," he nodded, "you don't have to ask permission about these things."

Arturia set the mug back on the table and then wrapped her arms around his waist again, she felt the warmth in her heart radiate and fill her entire body. She snuggled closer and she realized that—when he returned the hug and held her in his arms—she had not felt so lonely when she was around him. Her grip around him tightened and she had to speak, "My nightmare," she breathed, "it was about my mother."

Diarmuid was rubbing circles on her back and she felt a little comforted, "It's alright, don't force yourself."

"I hate what I had said to her, but I know it is not my fault. I loved my mother, but I spited the things that she had set out for me. I was afraid of unhappiness, and that ended up being what I landed in for a long time. It took Jeanne a year and a few moths to get me out of that pit I dug myself into." Her voice was a bit shaky, but she held herself together, "I value Jeanne a lot. She's my best friend and she has always been there for me to support me; I love her, for sure."

"She is a lovely person." Diarmuid agreed, holding Arturia a little closer to himself, although he was embarrassed, he felt the need to protect her with all his might.

The blonde gave a nod, "She is, isn't she? Her advice, it cheers me up, and her loving nature is really what I needed to even begin to heal the wound of my mother's death. I still feel hurt, but I know that Jeanne won't let me fall back in the pit because she'll protect me from all that."

Arturia seemed to have finished her small talk about her mother and Diarmuid decided to speak, "Youth was my ex-girlfriend, I guess you know that much about her, what with Morgana telling you." Somewhere along the talk, he had landed his head on her lap and she was running her hands through his hair—which was soft but tangled every now and again, "I don't exactly remember how we met, we just did. She was beautiful, nice," She watched him roll his orange eyes, "We were together for eons. Grade ten, I think, until third year university." He counted his fingers, mumbling 'eleven', 'twelve' and so on until he hit third year university, "Five, five years; that was quite the time."

"That's a long time," she looked down at him, hands still in his hair, "We've only been together for two months if you count summer." She had wondered how his hair had felt for months now and her dream had finally come true, his head on her lap and her hand running through his dark locks.

"I gave it all to her, anything and everything." He reached his hand up to touch her hair, for it was like a golden curtain hanging down.

"Everything?" Arturia lifted an eyebrow.

He took a deep breath, smelling the hot chocolate that seemed to linger around them, with a hint of her lavender perfume, "Everything. Anything that belonged to me, it became hers. I regret many things that I gave up to her, because she did not deserve a lot of those things."

"What do you mean?" She was starting to get the gist of things, but she still wanted to keep oblivious to it unless it was spelled out for her.

Diarmuid sat up, leaving Arturia's thighs cold and her heart stuck in half a beat, "Maybe we shouldn't talk about her." He huffed and then ran a hand through his hair.

Arturia watched his back muscles as they tried to relax while he rolled his shoulders, "Why so?" Truth be told, she was a bit jealous because it seemed that there was something in Diarmuid's heart that still belonged to Youth and not her.

"Because," he turned around to look at her, his jaw clenched and his eyes staring straight into hers. He shuffled about and was completely facing her, he took her face between his hands, "You're my girlfriend now and she isn't important." He started to bring Arturia's face closer to himself. He felt an ache at the depths of his heart and he wanted to rid himself of it, and he knew that if he kissed her, it would surely be eased for the day.

* * *

Jeanne had not agreed to enter Cú's car because he did not have his license, but he proved her wrong when he pulled out a blue card from his wallet, thus, he had driven her to a theater. Oh no, not the movies, the theater.

Cú smiled down at the female, messaging his shoulder muscles as they found their seat on a balcony in the theater, "I did some research on you, of course, and it seemed that all your friends said you liked Christmas and Theater, so I thought maybe an opera… but there seemed to be none happening around this time so I hope you like The Nutcracker."

"The Nutcracker?" Jeanne looked over at Cú, her eyes were glossy and suddenly a little red, "We're watching The Nutcracker?"

"Don't tell me that you're scared of nutcrackers. Aw shit, I'm so sorry." Nothing was going his way, was it?

Jeanne giggled as she shook her head, rubbing her cheeks so that she wouldn't cry, "No, I love this ballet. Igraine brought Arturia and I here once and I fell in love with theater because of this ballet, it's just that they're beautiful memories and I'm really happy that you were the one who brought me."

Cú grinned, so things were going smoothly. "How you ever played lacrosse?" He asked as they waited for the show to begin.

She shook her head, "Nope, but don't you like rugby?"

His cheeks lit up, and she noticed, "Ha, yeah, but I like Lacrosse better." That damn mistake was constantly biting him in the ass, "I was wondering if you would like to learn, like, I teach you sort of thing."

His hands were on the arm rests on either side of him and Jeanne landed her small hand on his right hand, "I'd love to."

 _Alright, so if this isn't accepting my feelings then I don't know what is_ , Cú was smiling at her, but he was the one that needed to make her blush not the other way around.

The lights dimmed and they knew it was time to shut their mouths as the music began to fill the theater walls.

Half the time, Cú was just looking at Jeanne—the play was the least of his worries. Her expressions were phenomenal, how she reacted to every little detail of the ballet assured him that he truly did like her, that he truly felt his heart flutter when she smiled at him. Her violet eyes were getting to him and this was a much more prominent feeling he got than before. Back in Ireland, it was just butterflies but Jeanne gave him mixed feelings. He was oh-so calm but so nervous at the same time. Her smile caused his heart to become like a raging sea, and his mind to shut down and relax. Her giggles made his heart melt and goosebumps form over his body—she was special, and he knew that very well.

"Um, Cú?" She was facing him now, the lights were back up and the play had ended, "Should we be off?"


	33. Quand C'est?

The phone rang and Diarmuid almost threw it across the room, not because he has anger issues, but rather because people seemed to interrupt the two of them quite a lot when something was going to happen. He pulled back from the female, dropping his hands from her cheeks and gave her an apologetic smile, "Forgive me," he sighed and reached for his crying phone.

Arturia stopped his hand short and she stared him down with determination, "Surely it is not more important." She almost sounded like Gilgamesh when she thought about it, but she just wanted him to pay attention to her for once.

"It's my father, I must answer." His voice was a bit stern and she let go of his hand so that he could answer his phone. He spoke with confidence when he answered it, greeting his father with a smile on his lips. He held up his phone with his right hand as he pushed himself off the couch with his left, "Yes of course," he answered a question, "You won't be able to make it? But father… Okay, I understand. Of course… Yes,"

The female just sat still on the couch, frowning at the fact that he cared more about everything else instead of her. She knew that there were important things he had to have his attention on, and she respected that, but he was keeping her at the absolute bottom of his priorities and she was quite upset with the fact. She followed him into the kitchen as he was oblivious to her presence, "Diarmuid?" She called, maybe he would give her a bit of attention.

"No, it's not Scáthach," he turned to the blonde and held a finger to his lips as his cheeks grew a bright shade of pink, "Um… yes, I do…" he turned away from her, "No, I will not tell you her name."

 _Did he say he had a girlfriend?_ A smile slowly grew on Arturia's lips as she felt somewhat accepted.

"I would have introduced her at the family dinner. No, not anymore. Yes, she's pretty. Very pretty." The butterflies in Arturia's stomach grew and she slowly approached him again, this time from in front.

He blinked at her and then continued to talk to his father on the phone.

She was quite happy with the compliment and so she approached him and wrapped her arms around his torso and held him tight in place, "Thank you."

* * *

He trudged in and plopped down on the couch, a frown on his lips. His governess had said something but he was not paying attention in the slightest. His red eyes fell on the television and then he flipped it on. Some boring news came on screen and he did not know what to do, "Is he any better?" He mumbled, "I'm handsome, and funny, and… ugh who am I kidding? Of course she'd choose him."

"My lord, would you like something to eat?" His governess came again, standing next to him by the couch, "I will have it prepared by seven."

The young man looked up and frowned, "I do not want anything right now. Is father home yet?"

A smile on pale red lips gave him his answer, "Not as of yet, sir Gilgamesh."

"Right," he nodded softly, "He never is." Then he stood feeling the coldness of his big house all over again—today he could feel it even more than before. "Am I a good man?" He asked his governess, who else could he ask if his mother was locked up in her room and his father as absent as always. Even his little brother was not home for his grandparents favoured the little thing much more.

"Of course you are," She gave a bow of her head.

Gilgamesh turned towards her, there was something off about him and the woman noticed, "You don't need to lie… I know I'm a jerk. Well, what can I do about that?" He shrugged and shook his head, "Even if I change, it's too late because she only cares about that mutt anyways. Actually, I do want to eat something. Get me a salmon dish with caviar."

"Yes, my young lord." The middle aged woman seemed quite a bit concerned with the teenage boy's attitude but she knew better than to comment on the fact. She was afraid he would explode as he did the time she asked him about his father—it was not a pretty sight to be near him when he became furious.

He stomped up the stairs, his frustration growing with every step. He was rather upset with the fact that he just was never going to be happy. Arturia had never even looked at him, but he sure liked her for a while and then he noticed how kind Jeanne truly was and how great and—and just overall how she was probably the best choice for a girlfriend… but then again, she too did not even glance at him romantically.

Just thinking about this was getting him more agitated. He really had to stop going after girls that he knew were not going to accept his feelings. Oh god, this was super hard. Then he grabbed his phone and decided to make a call… he had forgotten about his original mission and he needed to go back to it. If he couldn't have what he wanted, of course others weren't.

"Hello? Oh yes, Grainne… We need to meet up."

* * *

Cú and Jeanne stood in front of her house, he held her hand as he turned to look at her, a smile on his face. He thought it had been better to end the date after the ballet because he hoped that she would want to go out again. As well as there wasn't much they were talking about; just class and other stupid little subjects.

"Jeanne…" He was getting nervous all over again, her violet eyes were simply so intimidating in their innocence and kindness. He'd met ladies much prettier than Jeanne but there was something about this girl that had him completely wrapped around her finger.

"Yes?" She blinked, her short and curly eye lashes catching some stray snowflakes. The smile on her lips was causing him uneasiness.

The Frenchwoman was also having lots of anxiety by merely standing in front of Cú, her heart was thumping in her chest and she wondered if he could feel her heartbeat by her wrist. She brought her spare hand up to move the snowflakes from her lashes because they were quite annoying what with blocking her vision with white spots here and there. She took note that her hand was shaking with anticipation so she refrained from rubbing her eye for fear that he would see her all nervous—she was having no trouble hiding her anxiety with her facial expression, however.

Cú's gaze dropped for a second as he collected his thoughts—or maybe himself—"Well, do you want to be my girlfriend?"

She gulped, "I have to ask my parents," she repeated her previous statement without neither a smile or a frown.

"I know, I know," he nodded quickly, "Do _you_ want to be my girlfriend? Not do your parents want you to be my girlfriend. As if you did not need to ask them for permission, would _you_ , only you, want to be my girlfriend?" His red eyes narrowed—not with anger, but rather curiosity. He wanted to know her feelings towards him, he wanted her to tell him that she liked him back.

A blush coloured her cheeks the way a painter presses his brush against a canvas; pale skin being painted with a sweet rose. She slowly nodded, "Why do you think I'm asking for my parents' permission. I like you, Cú, I do…" She ran her teeth over her lower lip and then glanced at the door beside her, "That's why I want to do things the right way."

The young man took a hold of her face, tilting it towards him and just a little bit upwards so that he could look her in the eyes. He had a smirk on his face—the famous Cú smirk—and there was a glow in his red eyes (it could have been determination; Jeanne was not certain).

He leaned in closer, bringing her face towards him with every passing second. Her eyes flickered closed and she welcomed his actions with knowledge this time around. She knew she was going to be embarrassed but she wanted a chance to kiss him back this time. Her heart hammered in her chest just as she felt his warm breath on her lips while her hands landed on his chest.

The squeaky door was what made Jeanne push Cú Chulainn off and almost slip to fall back on his butt. She was utterly embarrassed but she couldn't show a single clue of the fact that they were almost about to kiss. Her head flipped towards the door in an instant, an innocent smile on her face. Her purple eyes slightly widened at the face of her brother, but she stopped herself.

Cú had found his footing again and faced the doorway as well, a smirk on his lips as he nodded at the presence of the older boy, "Good evening,"

The blond boy leaned against the door frame and crossed his arms over his chest, "Hello. Who are you?"

Jeanne was nervous again—but this time because she was afraid her brother would make her crush run off and never return. Jean was one to bark and bite, and his bite hurt like hell—but then again, Cú was a 'bad boy'.

"Cú Chulainn," he extended his hand, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

The young man glanced at Jeanne and then back at the blue-haired male, "You can drop the 'gentlemanly' act, it's not needed." He rolled his eyes, clucking at the end, "Come on, Jeanne, let's head inside."

Jeanne frowned and nodded at Cú as to bid him a farewell, mumbling as small goodbye and she trickled into her house like a dog with it's tail between it's legs. She knew her brother cared for her, but sometimes he shouldn't be so mean.

"Jean, I like him. A lot." Jeanne spoke as the two teenagers made it to the kitchen, "And all I ask of you is to help me out."

The blond sat down, his brows furrowed and a frown on his lips, "He's not even that good looking. I always keep telling you that Gawain is the way to go."

"I know that Gawain is a nice guy, but I like Cú," Jeanne felt a bit upset because her brother had been trying his best to secretly get Gawain and Jeanne together but after the both of them clearly denied having feelings for one another, he was actively speaking about one to the other, "He asked me out today."

Jean cracked his knuckles—not in an intimidating way—"And you want me to put in a good word to papa and maman, right?"

The young lady nodded rapidly, "Yes, please. I know that you both haven't really met, but please. Help me out this once."

It was as if on cue that her mother came down the steps and entered the kitchen, "Oh, you're home sweetheart. How was school?" Brown eyes glimmered as the woman tightened the green blanket around herself, "Do you want something to eat?"

"It's okay, maman." A bright smile adorned Jeanne's face, "And school went well. But I wish to ask father and you a question."

Her mother blinked and tilted her head slightly, "Oh, is that so? Well, we must wait for Jacques to get home then."

It wasn't until a bit later that her father got home and it was time for them to speak. Jeanne stood in the middle of the living room and faced her parents with a big smile; this was it, the first time that she (possibly) could have a boyfriend, "Papa, maman, I wanted to ask you something very important." There were butterflies in her stomach and the shaking of her bones in anxiety.

Her father looked at her through blue eyes and scrunching his nose, lifting the mustache over his top lip a little, "And what might that be, ma petite pucelle?" There was a smile on his lips but she knew he was weary of her awaited question.

She took a deep breath, squeezing her hand and biting the inside of her cheek, "There's a boy I like," she heaved, "and he asked me to be his girlfriend... I-I," her nerves were killing her at this point, she was probably going to faint, "I want to ask you for permission to date him."

Her mother's face lit up in an instant, a grin on her face, her eyes squinted, cheeks a little pink as she giggled and clapped her hands together, "Oh sweetie! Why yes you can! This is amazing, dear, out little girl has herself a good boy." Isabelle looked over at her husband and landed a hand on his arm, "Oh please say yes."

The smile on Jeanne's lips grew as her mother was willing to let her date.

"No." Jacques deadpanned, furrowing his brows together and casting a glare beyond Jeanne—as if her crush was there, "Absolutely not." He always had the final say in whatever it was; food, games, dating; anything. And Jeanne respected that.

That poor girl dropped her smile quicker than bullet and she nodded slowly, part of her thought it was unfair but she knew better than to judge her father's decisions because she knew he always had her best interest at heart, "Thank—"

"Father, I think you should give him a chance." It was her older brother to interrupt her, causing the female to shoot her head towards him in an instant, along with the couple's, "I've seen him twice... and he seems to be a presentable guy. You could give him a shot, maybe he'll impress."

"Oh, that is so true. How about we invite the young man over for dinner? Wouldn't that be lovely?"

Jacques grumbled, and crossed his arms over his chest leaning back on his seat. He seemed to be truly thinking about the proposition that was made by both his son and his wife. He looked at Jeanne's hopeful violet eyes and gave a reluctant nod, "Alright. One shot, I hope he doesn't throw it away. This Tuesday at seven in the evening. If he's not there, then he lost his chance."

* * *

Diarmuid discarded his phone on the counter top (completely forgetting about his father on the line) and pulled away from Arturia's hug before finding his resolve again and lifting her up—earning a squeak from her part—and finally placing her on the counter top as well. Arturia could see a different look in his eyes just as he took her face in his hands again and brought her closer.

Arturia heard the faint voice of his adoptive father calling out to him on the cellphone before she let herself fall into her boyfriend's lead. His lips brushed against hers ever so lightly and seeing as he wasn't going to advance, she grabbed a hold of his tie and pulled him down. Their lips pressed against each other and she slowly drifted her hand over his shoulder and tangling it in his smooth hair. There was no shock, no lightening; just a feeling in Arturia's gut that it was meant to be like this.

She pulled him closer and he slowly began to kiss back—hesitation in every movement he held, even the delayed act of setting his hands on her waist. He was scared, but she was very calming; just as he thought, the pit in his heart was temporarily gone, the image of Youth in his mind vanished just for that little while.


	34. Not so Smooth Criminal

Diarmuid was the one to pull away from the kiss. His cheeks were dusted pink and he averted his gaze from her because he felt his heart beat faster when he looked at her. Her golden hair hugged her face and the thought ran through his mind that he did not deserve such an innocent girlfriend. He gave her a short smile as he lifted his hands off her waist and took a deep breath. He shouldn't be using her like this.

"What's wrong?" Arturia furrowed her brows and took a hold of his wrists so that he wouldn't recede further.

Diarmuid shook his head, "N-nothing." He shouldn't have agreed to Arturia's proposition. He shouldn't have developed feelings for her—he should have just walked away and not speak with her after seeing she was his student.

The green-eyed female bit her lips and sighed, "There must be… you're acting as if someone died, not as if we kissed." She was frowning now, and there was slight disappointment in her eyes.

He searched his mind for an explanation to give that would not hurt her feelings. He could never tell her how guilty he felt or that he stills had feelings for Youth somewhere deep down. He had to let Arturia go; he had to make sure he wouldn't hurt her as well, but… he didn't want her to leave.

He took a hold of her face with one hand and, instead of giving her an explanation or pushing her away further, he brought her into a soft kiss. He felt her lips form a smile as she gently kissed back. It was not an overexerted kiss, it was simple and tender if anything. It was an apologetic kiss. He was apologizing to her without causing her trouble.

Diarmuid jumped away from Arturia when he heard the clearing of a throat. Both of them turned towards the Kitchen entrance to see a frowning boy in a uniform with his red eyes as slits, "Please, no making out in the kitchen. We make food here, come on!" It was rather weird that he was upset because Diarmuid understood the date had gone well with Jeanne.

Arturia slipped off from the counter as Diarmuid covered his face with his arm so that the embarrassment didn't show, "We weren't making out." Arturia retorted as she pulled up the sweatpants all the way back up to right below her chest so that she wouldn't trip on the long leg sleeves.

"Yeah, whatever, don't show off your forbidden relationship anyways." Cú rolled his eyes as he walked to the fridge.

"What happened? You seem salty today…" The young lady blinked as she peeked around the fridge door and watch her best friend's crush pull out two sodas.

Cú passed the blue-green can towards the short girl and sighed, "Jeanne and I had fun, as I would like to think."

"Then?" Arturia opened the can, sizzling emerging from it after the crack of the tin, "What's wrong?"

"One, her brother interrupted us when we were about to kiss,"

Arturia's eyes sparkled, "Like you did a while ago?"

He rolled his eyes and threw the refrigerator door closed, "Second, while you are here and willy-nilly lovey-dovey, her brother clearly hates me and I will possibly not have a chance of dating her because her parents have to approve of us and you know I am not perfect."

"Oh," the blonde nodded, "I forgot about that… her father is quite strict. It might be hard for you to win her over."

"I already won her over," Diarmuid was not contributing to the conversation so Cu had shot him a sideways glance as he spoke, "I just need to win her family over."

"Easier said than done," Arturia scoffed.

Diarmuid cleared his throat this time around, "Um, it's getting late," he mumbled and leaned back onto the counter and crossed his arms.

"Is it because I'm here that the fun is over?" Cú raised an eyebrow and let a chuckle slip.

The man with the beauty mark gave his brother a short glare before looking back at the young lady, "I'll take you home."

Arturia sighed and nodded seeing that it was getting quite late—and she knew she wouldn't be able to win the argument, "Let me just get my stuff ready." She left the kitchen, and after Cú had seen her reach the living room before he spoke.

"So you finally grew a pair and kissed her. I mean, you've liked her since summer, and she is the only girl to keep that disaster off your mind." The younger male sipped from his soda as he approached his brother.

Diarmuid sighed, "I wouldn't exactly say that, though…" It was all he said before he too exited the kitchen and met Arturia at the door.

The car rolled to a stop at a red light and Arturia landed her hand on Diarmuid's, causing him to look over at her, a blush on his cheeks. She smiled at him and turned her head towards the road so that he could to the same.

"I had fun today," she spoke while tightening her grip on his hand, "and maybe we could do something for Christmas."

"Arturia," the light was still red and so he looked at her again, returning the squeeze on her hand. The guilt was pooling in his gut again and he gulped, Adam's Apple bobbing in the darkness of the car, "I…" He couldn't bring himself to tell her everything so he took a deep breath and nodded, "I would love to."

The soft glow of the stop light turned green and Arturia signalled him to go on. Upon arriving at her house, he parked the car and ran his teeth over his bottom lip, "I'll see you later, sweet dreams." He managed to say something as she removed her seatbelt with a click.

Arturia smiled and then leaned towards him, kissing him on the cheek, "You too."

* * *

Cú stood in front of the door, cracking his knuckles and taking a deep, _deep_ breath. Oh was the anxiety killing him. His palms were sweaty and he could feel his knees fail him with weakness. " _Shit,_ " he breathed lowly trying to supress the nervousness with every breath. Did he even look presentable? Or did he look like a hoodlum?

" _There, perfect," Diarmuid had finished tying the tie before patting the suit over his little brother's shoulders, "Like a true gentleman." It was Sunday afternoon that Cú had come screaming into to kitchen that he needed a suit and he needed it at that exact moment. The screeching had made Diarmuid heave and give into going to the mall—after what had felt like hours they settled on a particular Italian cut suit and brought it home with them. It wasn't until they arrived home Sunday that Cú had explained he had been invited for a dinner at the d'Arc's home._

" _Are you sure?" Cú seemed more like a little boy thinking about a Halloween costume that wouldn't make him the laughing stock of the school._

_Diarmuid sighed as it was already Tuesday at five fifty in the afternoon and he was due for seven, "For the hundredth time, you're fine," He sighed, "Just remember what I told you, no swear words and smile."_

_Cú smelt faintly like cologne, not enough to intoxicate or smother someone, but enough that you could smell it cling in a soft cloud around him. His hair was very well kept, a golden band keeping his longer hair in check as his shorter hair was styled nicely with gel. He was not wearing his earrings because Diarmuid insisted that it would make him look like a delinquent. The boy even exfoliated because he had to 'put his best face forward'._

_The raven-haired man was delighted and relieved to see his brother become such a fine man, "You really like her, don't you?"_

" _Why the fuck would I go through this if I didn't like her?" Cú was unimpressed with Diarmuid's question, giving him a look as if he was done as his voice was gruff._

_Diarmuid closed his eyes and rubbed his face so he would not become impatient with the other, "There you go again with the bad words. What did I say?"_

" _Ugh," the red-eyed boy grunted, "sorry, I'm just nervous." It was evident in the little habits he demonstrated whenever he was under pressure. He grinded his teeth, spoke a little too fast, and held onto something to fidget with it—which at the time was his lighter._

_Diarmuid finally remembered what he had been forgetting, "Oh, and do not smoke. Things will go downhill if you do." He extended his hand, implying the younger of the two to hand over the shiny object._

" _Yeah, yeah, yeah," the boy waved his hand rapidly, "I got it, I'm not stupid. Just let me hold onto this, it calms me down a bit."_

_The teacher lifted his eyebrows, "Okay," he gave in without another struggle, "so let's practice for the last time, from the beginning."_

_Cú nodded promptly, shoving the lighter in his pocket, "Okay."_

" _Hello," Diarmuid extended his hand as he took the role of Jeanne's Father._

No matter how many times Diarmuid had prepared him, Cú was speechless as he stood in front of the door. He had stopped halfway and took a smoke before arriving at Jeanne's because he couldn't take the nerves that were taking over him. But now, after the temporary relief the cigarette had given him, he was horrified and paranoid at the fact that he smelt toxic, " _Shit, shit, shit_." He mumbled under his breath as he forced himself to press the doorbell just as the clock struck seven.

Muffled voices came from behind the door before it was opened rapidly, revealing a short, sweet girl in a rich green dress; much richer in colour than Arturia's eyes—nearing a deep forest shade. Her hair was loose and wavy, part of it held back with a black ribbon clip. She was wearing small earrings and light make-up. Her deeper rose lips were etched in a smile and her violet eyes stared up at him in a charming manner through mascaraed lashes. Her freckles were slightly hidden under blush and she had a silver necklace around her neck.

"J-Jeanne," Cú was captivated by her beauty, his nerves easing away with her smile but her eye still making him scared of what was to come, "g-good evening." _What the fuck? Why am I stuttering!_

The young man was very stunning himself with such a classy look on him. He had a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a present in the other.

Jeanne leaned towards him and Cú almost thought she was going in for a kiss, but instead she greeted him the way all the French do; she kissed his cheek. Now, this didn't go without her noticing the faint cloud of death that lingered by his shirt.

She pulled away with a frown on her lips, she shouldn't have expected him to not smoke… "Cú…" she sighed, "You promised…" He told her, he bloody told her he wouldn't smoke right before meeting her family.

"I'm sorry." He too was frowning now, but he opened his mouth to make an excuse, however was interrupted by Jeanne's father.

"Aren't you going to invite the young man inside?" The tall, and well stocked man blinked from behind them. He had a welcoming and warm smile under a light mustache, both his hands behind his back and his hair swept neatly to the side.

"Ah," Jeanne stepped aside, "Come on in." She had a smile on her face again. She closed her eyes and already accepted the fact that her father was not going to approve.

Cú closed the door behind himself and offered the gift to the older man.

Jacques accepted the gift just as his wife entered the front foyer, her blond hair styled in victory curls that only confirmed to Cú that the family was very old fashioned. She was offered the bouquet of flowers; Isabelle was already enchanted with the handsome teenager.

"Hello, young man," Jeanne's father extended his hand, Cú taking it, "I am mister d'Arc, but you could call me Jacques." He gave a nod, "And this is my wife, Isabelle Romee. It is a pleasure to have you in our company this evening."

"The pleasure's all mine," Cú shook his hand firmly, "My name is Cú Chulainnn Ua Duibhne."

Jacques brought Cú into a hug, as was custom, and his smile faded for a single second before he pulled away, "Dinner is ready."

At the dinner table, Jean and Pierre waited by their seats. The table was one fore six people and it seemed much more heartwarming that Arturia's long and cold dinner table. There was the sweet smell of beef floating in the air with faint scents of vegetables and spices. It smelt divine, filling the lungs of Cú with anticipation.

The red, gold and white splashed the house with the Christmas spirit. A reoccurring theme for the house seemed to be dark woods with light coloured items and religious statues or pictures all about. In fact, by the entrance there had been a silver Benedict's cross and on a marble stand by the dinner table, a statue of Our Lady of Grace. _If this doesn't scream devoutly Catholic, then I don't know what does,_ Cú smiled and introduced himself to Jeanne's siblings.

Grace was recited before the meal and they all proceeded to sit down and eat.

"Cú, what is your favourite subject at school?" Jacques begun the interrogation.

Cú glanced up from his food and answered, "As of now, I really enjoy History, but I have a lot of fun in physics and French."

Isabelle's eyes lit up, "Oh! You're learning French? Is it because of our daughter?"

The blue haired boy shook his head, "Oh, no, I learnt French back in Ireland, thus I'm continuing it here." He replied with a rather defined voice, hoping he sounded somewhat intellectual or something.

"What are you hoping to become in the future, any goal as of yet?" The blue-eyed man was back to speaking as he cut the steak.

Jeanne sipped at her water and turned to her crush, hoping he would answer to her parents' content.

The table was silent for a while before Cú spoke up, fixing his blazer sleeves, "I plan to succeed my father in part of his company. I'm not much of a business man, as I prefer physical fitness, but I am willing to learn the ways of my father."

The blonde female was surprised to hear Cú speak so open to the idea of business. He usually had either no comment or was against a company.

"That sounds splendid," her father gave a hearty reply, "but," he breathed, taking the glass of champagne (the gift Cú brought) into his right hand before sipping from it, "is that your goal? Or the goal of your father?"

 _Shit,_ It had been going so well! What was he doing wrong? "Um," the anxiety washed over him again, "I'd like to say both." He tried to supress the long breath he took by moderately exhaling, but these breathing techniques were not working—at all, "Although my father wishes me to continue his legacy, I too want to step into my father's shoes."

They continued to eat for a while before another question popped into the air, this time from the little boy across from him, "Do you love Jehanettie?"

The entire table shot their eyes towards the young child and it was Jean to nudge the boy back to his senses, "What? It's not a bad question, is it?"

"No, no, it's not a bad question. I…" Cú was red by this point as he started fidgeting with the fork, _Love_ … oh my, that was a strong word in this situation. You see, people use love with little thought. People may say 'I love you' but not really mean it because you probably just gave them half a slice of cake… but when _love_ came to Jeanne, Cú wasn't sure what to say, "I am quite serious about her," it was all he could say to demonstrate how much he cared for the female but not use 'love'.

He reached for the glass of water but instead, his nerves caused it to tip and spill over the table, reaching the other corner—right where her father was seated—and splash over his lap. Cú had probably gasped the loudest in his lifetime because he stood up hurriedly, knocking the empty glass of champagne (thank God, not shattering it) and making him apologize a few times over, "Shit, I'm so sorry. Fuck." And he let that slip his mouth without a thought, "I… apologize," he immediately spoke, the defeat evident in his voice. _Wow, this is a disaster_ , he thought a little too soon as he also knocked over the change in Jacques glass, "Oh _god_ ," Jeanne cringed at that particular sentence as her mother's eyes grew a little, "I am so sorry, here, let me help you." He reached over with the napkin to help the middle aged man dry off the water.

"No," Jacques lifted his hand, "It's alright." His voice was quite harsh, "I think I can manage by myself."

Jeanne was just looking straight at her brother, hands clasped over her mouth and shoulders on the table. It just kept getting worse. Her brother had a smile on his face and Jeanne couldn't help but kick him under the table.

"Ah," Cú nodded and then he looked over at the little boy, who seemed to be repeating those curse words that flew into the air, "I… I think, I've over welcomed my stay." He stood straight and Jeanne immediately looked up at him with a shocked expression.

"No, no," Isabelle waved her hand, "Sit, we invited you for dinner, not half-dinner," she chuckled, "Take a seat and let's eat."

Cú looked over all the faces at the table. Isabelle had a welcoming smile on her face, Jean looked unimpressed, Pierre… we he was enjoying the whole situation because he had a bright smile on his lips and that look in his eyes that he enjoyed Cú's act… Jeanne looked defeated, and her father was _pissed_ , "Uh… I…"

"Sit, please," The Frenchman spoke, "I'll fix myself and be right back." With that, Cú sat and the man stood before leaving the room in silence.

No one said much else for the rest of the dinner after the return of Jacques and the tick-tock of the clock agonizingly sang throughout the remainder of the meal. Cú was utterly embarrassed by the end as they all stood at the foyer of the house.

"It was a pleasure having you over," Isabelle was genuine about the matter, she had quite a bit of fun with the spectacle the young boy pulled.

"Thank you, the pleasure is all mine. You are all a lovely family." Cú gave a short bow, before Isabelle kissed his cheek as a goodbye and Jeanne did too. The young boy shook his hand and so did Jean, a look of disappointment in his eyes.

Jacques did not offer a hand and that was when Cú completely lost hope. He rubbed his neck and waved, "Thank you again for having me, Au revoir."

"À bientôt, j'espère." Jeanne mumbled and they all bid their farewells. That was until it was Jacques turn to bid his adieu, but he didn't. Instead, he offered to walk Cú to his car—which caused the whole family to run to the living room window after the two male exited the house.

"Well, it was quite an eventful evening, wasn't it?" Jacques began the conversation as they stepped down the small steps.

Cú blushed and nodded, "Ahh… yes."

"You seem a bit unbalanced in my eyes."

No comment.

The middle aged Frenchman sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, "Well… I thought quite a bit on it, after the shenanigan. And I've come to a conclusion about you dating my daughter."

Cú's heart skipped a beat, the cold causing his nose to tingle.

"You see," the man began, "I do not know how you think of Jeanne. But, I know my daughter's views on a boyfriend. This is not meant to scare you or drive you away, but I know that my daughter looks at boyfriends as potential husbands, because that's what they are. You don't go into a relationship thinking you are going to break up in a couple of months, logically speaking."

The young Irishman did not even bother speaking at all. He knew if he said something it would cause havoc.

"Thus, as much as an over bearing father I am," he chuckled, "I trust my daughter in her choice of you. That being said, I'm not quite happy with you, for starters… you smoke. That's not the kind of person I would like my innocent daughter around… but I cannot ignore the way that she looks at you… and the way you look at her; it reminds me of my wife and I. And so, I welcome you with weary, but still open arms."

Cú's eyes lit up, "Honestly?" A smile grew on his lips just as the reached his car, he felt super relieved and the nerves had finally calmed down, "Thank you. I legitimately thought I fu—messed it up."

Jacques laughed a bit, "You did. But, I don't really have a say in the feelings of my daughter."

The farewell was a bit more Latin in nature as they gave each other a hug and then Cú drove off. The family returning to the foyer so that Jacques did not notice they were eavesdropping.

"Don't think I didn't notice you," The man locked the door behind himself.

"So… how did it go?" Isabelle prompted, a smile on her lips as she already saw that the man seemed a bit brighter.

"He's a kid with good intentions. Just needs to be straightened up a bit."

Jeanne grinned and closed her eyes for a bit, "Merci beaucoup, papa." She quickly enraptured him in a tight hug.

* * *

"Arturia," her father beamed as he had witnessed her sitting in the living room watching the news, "I have a delightful announcement to make."

Arturia directed her attention to Uther, turning off the television in the process, "Yes father?"

"You will be having a coming of age party." He clapped his hands together.

"A what?" Her brows furrowed as she stood up straight.

"It was meant to be a surprise, but I had arranged it for a long time now, about five months… another reason your sister came to visit. You see, you'll almost be eighteen, just two more moths to go, and you will be having a cocktail party to introduce you formally into the company as the heir. Are you excited?" There was a bright smile on his lips.

"Um," she wasn't exactly sure what to say, "W-wh… uh. As the heir?"

"Well, we are a very important bank, and it should be known from now that you will be leading it at one point in time. This party is to introduce you to the business world and lead you to make proper connections and walk down the right path, who knows, you could even find a suitor."


	35. This Wold Keeps Spinning

She closed her eyes shut and was about to ruffle her hair before her sister growled; she could not mess up her carefully styled hair. It was a few minutes before the guests would start filing into their house; she almost wished she could hide in her closet so that the judging eyes of business men and women alike would not land on her wherever she went. She hung her head and grimaced down at the outfit she wore; her father had forbid her to wear a suit because 'a respectable lady should wear gowns' and Morgana was quicker than a cheetah jumping at a gazelle to get for her younger sister a befitting dress.

Thus Morgana pulled Arturia up to stand, a blue gown covering the silver shoes that she had gotten for her. The dress was a royal blue velvet hanging loose and a golden floral sheer lace over her bosom. She looked at herself in the mirror; her eyes scanning over the make-up and hair do that held her blond locks in a simple bun decorated by a braid and a royal blue ribbon.

She felt the heaviness of the fake lashes on her eye lids with every blink, even the red matte lipstick seemed too much but Morgana assured her she did not look like an overdone freak and she was just fine.

"Remember all the etiquette classes we attended, you have to be a prim and proper lady, don't forget to smile." Her sister sounded encouraging, with her very own smile on plumb coloured lips, "You've grown up so fast, just to think a few years back you were worried about entering high school and now you're being introduced to father's circle of business… Mother would be very proud of you, baby." There were tears at the corner of her eyes.

Arturia gave a short chuckle, "I'll be eighteen in a month and a half, I'm not _that_ old yet."

Morgana took a deep breath, "Yes you are."

"And what about you? You are already having a child on the way and father put you in charge of the most important section of the company." The blonde sighed, feeling the pressure in her stomach building up, she had to even out her breathing in order to calm herself down.

Her older sister did not comment, instead, she fixed her very own dress and hair, "Father must be waiting for us now. Don't forget to smile." Why, you ask, must Morgana repeat this to the young lady? You see, Arturia was one not too smile often, in fact, she barely did—especially around guests.

Her father was waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs, a bright smile on his face as he saw his beautiful young daughter start to turn into to a lady, "You both look beautiful," he commented, pride clearly evident in his voice.

Merlin also waited for his wife at the bottom of the steps and kissed her cheek when she reached him. He mumbled something that went unheard to Arturia and Uther but it seemed as if he was complementing his wife on her appearance.

It wasn't long before people started filing in. Extravagant dresses, tuxedos, jewelry and hairstyles splashed the house against the Christmas decorations that had been set the day prior. She had been introduced to the most important share holders that her father had and some other important business figures.

Her smile was starting to hurt her cheeks and she was already exhausted to be meeting so many people, to think they were only forty minutes into the three-hour function. She tried to motivate herself by promising to have more hors d'oeuvres; but the servers never came close to her.

The classical music danced around her house as woman stared at her, judging irises twinkling a little with the many chandeliers. Arturia managed to excuse herself from her father's grasp because she had said something about having to talk with her sister. The first thing she did when she slipped away was take a fruit punch and a chicken kebab from two different servers.

Savouring the taste of that beautiful chicken, she covered her mouth with a napkin whilst she walked around, trying to find a place that she could use to hide. It was out of the mere corner of her eyes that she spotted a rather beautiful woman; long pine green gown with what seemed like a glittery sheer draped from her waist downwards. White satin gloves to her mid forearm and a silver necklace adorning her neck, while pearl earrings hung, sparkling with every movement. Her wavy wine-red hair was neatly swept to her left, exposing a freckled shoulder on her right. A bright and genuine smile on her cherry lips and sparkling myrtle eyes to compliment her dress.

Arturia could not help but stand in awe of how beautiful this woman was, her delicate ivory arm wrapped around her company's; a respectably handsome man but nowhere near Diarmuid's beauty. She took a step toward the couple without thinking about it, but snapped back to the task at hand; hiding from her father.

Shaking her head, she turned on her heel and continued down the room to possibly escape through the back door…but she was stopped short by a tap on her shoulder. Her heart dropped, she was so close to tasting freedom—so close. With a heavy sigh, she turned about, her dress following in her motion.

"M'lady, congratulations." A bright smile melted her fear and she could not help but return the gesture. She was relieved to see the man before her, black suit and perfectly combed hair. She shouldn't have been so excited to see him, but he was completely handsome and his was the only face that calmed her among the judging eyes of onlookers.

"Diarmuid, what brings you here?" She blinked, trying to act a bit dumb, "It's a pleasure to see you."

Diarmuid let a chuckle slip, "As is to see you. I come in my father's stead, my real father." He answered her question, "Where you off to the garden?"

The question prompted a nod from Arturia's part and he offered her his arm so that she could take it before he led her out of the house and into the garden that they had. Of course Arturia had failed to remember a jacket and thus Diarmuid wasted no time in offering his blazer to her. It was a good thing that the stone path had been cleared and salt sprinkled because if not, Arturia would have to trudge through snow with some crazy heels.

"A breath of fresh is always best when you're stressed," Diarmuid commented, shivering a little against the cold breeze of the evening.

Although she did not like heels, she certainly liked the sound they made because for some reason it made her seem powerful, "I'm not stressed," she squeezed his arm a little, "It is just odd to be a specimen that people study."

The man chuckled lightly and gave her a nod, as to convince her that he believed her, "You shouldn't be nervous, it's just a small formal function. I'm sure everyone loves you; I mean you already look stunning and there's nothing they wouldn't like about you. You're responsible," one could argue though, her relationship with her teacher was not exactly the most responsible choice, "courageous, beautiful and cool."

Arturia laughed, leaning her head against his arm, "Of course you would say that, you're my boyfriend." She blushed at the fact that he was complimenting her but she was not going to thank him for fear that he would see her red cheeks.

Diarmuid slowed them to a stop and turned her to face him, an expression of confusion in her eyes, "You are looking dazzling today," he mumbled, his cheeks dusted pink but it could have easily been for the weather.

A smile snaked onto Arturia's lips, "Thank you." White puffs of warm air filled the space around them, along with the aroma of Arturia's perfume for her sister insisted she smell like peaches.

He took a step closer to her, lifting his hands to cup her face. Arturia gasped the moment his hands held her cheeks, his freezing fingers seeping the warmth from her skin, "Your hands are cold," she hushed, blushing slightly as she lifted her very own hands to cover his, "You can get frostbite, you know?"

He gave a small chuckle before lifting her face up a little as he dipped down, her red lips seeming very alluring, "You can warm me up," he whispered, his voice almost escaping with the harsh winter air. Her heels had made her taller and it was a good thing because he did not have to bend so low to reach her lips.

Arturia fluttered her eyelids closed as she felt her heart swell in her chest, she tried to go on her tip-toes a little more, but she couldn't exactly do it as her heels were already quite high. His lips brushed against hers a little before she heard heels clacking and she immediately pulled away, her cheeks burning up. She had thrown his hands back to him and turned towards the sound, her green eyes wide and the fluttering in her heart going wild.

Diarmuid was a bit dumbfounded and it took him a few seconds to recover. He blinked a couple of times and did just as Arturia had done, faced the source of the sound. They both soon heard a giggle fill the air about them; an almost angelic giggle.

From the path hugged by evergreens, the beautiful red head emerged with her arm hooked around a man's. Arturia was surprised to see her and she stood in awe all over again, a fox fur shawl hugged her arms, still exposing her shoulders, albeit; probably a tactic of hers to seem much more lovely.

Even for Arturia, she was hypnotizing; she just seemed so lovely and elegant. Some sort of jealousy washed her over as she thought of the fact that Diarmuid might fall in love with the lady instead of him looking only at her. She wiped her head towards her tall boyfriend and she could see him in shock just as the pair reached them.

"Oh my, you aren't Arturia Pendragon, are you?" Even her voice was enchanting, her jewel-like eyes only resting on Arturia and not a single glance at the man next to her.

Arturia opened her mouth to speak, "Y-Why yes," she had stuttered a bit and she was afraid that the woman caught on to her uneasiness.

"Aren't you very lovely," she commented eliciting a blush from the short girl, "It is but a pleasure to meet you, dear," she extended a slender white-gloved hand (A thought ran through Arturia's head and she honestly thought that her boyfriend and the lady before her would make the most beautiful couple; but even if the jealousy bubbled through her veins, she couldn't help but like the woman), "My name is Youth."

Arturia, this time, could not help but blink, her mind was absent even as she took the woman's hand to shake it. Dead silence surfaced between all four of them as the lady took back her hand, a smile still steady on cherry lips, "Are… you surprised to see me?" A thin brown eyebrow was pulled to raise, "I'm sorry to have startled the both of you." It wasn't until then that her eyes flickered over to Diarmuid for a fraction of a second. The blazer Arturia had draped over her shoulders and the slightest tint of red on Diarmuid's lips already told her all she needed to know.

"Uh, um, forgive me, it is just that you are so very lovely," Arturia snapped out of the trance that had been spiralling downwards. She would never have thought that she would _ever_ get to meet Youth, at _her_ party nonetheless.

Youth giggled that angelic giggle again, "Thank you, sweetheart, but it is truly you that are a masterpiece to look at." Arturia already knew that was a lie, "The daughter and heir of Uther Pendragon and the swain of a Duibhne, I should never expect anything less."

Arturia gave a smile, one to hurt her cheeks again, "Why thank you." She hooked her arm around Diarmuid's snapping him out of his trance.

Youth's smile had seemed to waver but it had to be Arturia's imagination because she seemed quite confident, "Diarmuid," she extended her hand, "It has been quite a long time, has it not?" She seemed genuinely sweet, but she just _had_ to be hiding something; no one could be that perfect, could they?

Diarmuid took her hand a shook it, his eyes had lingered on hers for one dangerous second too long, "It is good to see you faring well." He gave a court nod and placed his hand over Arturia's, "Is this your husband?"

"We're betrothed," her partner commented, a triumphant smile on his lips.

Youth leaned her head on the man's shoulder, "We are to wed in the summer," she sounded happy, and that had caused something inside of Diarmuid's chest to hurt just a tad bit, "Oh," she had opened her eyes in surprise, expanding the forest within them by a fraction, "I'm afraid I have not introduced you all yet."

Arturia seemed to be a little confused for a short while, and it looked as if the man with Youth also did. Everyone was silent for some moments which felt like ages until the sweet sing-song voice of Youth filled the air—much to everyone's relief at first, "This is Aodhan. We met in Australia through a business meeting, a year ago we got engaged."

Diarmuid nodded slightly, cringing at the mention of _Australia_ for some odd reason. Did he just hate the country? Arturia wasn't exactly sure, but she did know it had to do with their break-up.

"And this," She extended a hand towards Diarmuid, "is Diarmuid. We were high school sweethearts at one point, but it didn't quite work out for us; as I have mentioned before." Aodhan's brown eyes glazed over, maybe it was jealousy or simple amusement, "It's really good to see you've got someone new."

Arturia would have called bullshit on the statement, but the sincerity and happiness in the woman's eyes was unfathomable; thus, she remained silent. She clutched her hands in fists for the weather was still in effect and maybe she did feel like nothing compared to the beauty in front of them.

"As it is nice to catch you with a new fiancé, I'm delighted for you." Diarmuid was so good at hiding his feelings, his smile was obviously a little shaky, but you could dismiss it to the freezing cold he was enduring.

"Anyway," Youth smiled and gave a little wink, making herself much more alluring, "I'm sure you would like to be left alone, this party can be stressful for you, as I assume." She seemed a bit shocked, albeit, about the age gap but whatever she though, she kept it in her mind and behind bright eyes, "It was very nice to meet you Miss Camelot," she referred to the bank, "and you as well, Diarmuid. Until next time." With a short farewell from the other two, she walked past them and followed the trail back up to the house, hugging the fox shawl around herself one last time.

"Well," Arturia breathed, "That was intense wasn't it?" She did not expect an answer from Diarmuid even as she turned towards him. She dropped her head and tightened the blazer around herself a little, feeling it trying to warm her up.

After Diarmuid did not respond, Arturia took a step towards him, fear settling in her heart and unsettling taking its place in her stomach. She felt awfully sick but she tried to supress it. Diarmuid like her now, not Youth. It wasn't like old memories were resurfacing his feelings for her, right? Arturia had to trust Diarmuid right now, but she found it hard to do so when Youth was the embodiment of perfection in every sense. She had most likely past high school and university with flying colours while still having a place in Diarmuid's heart.

The blonde slipped the blazer off herself, shuddering at the sudden gust of wind and offered it at Diarmuid, who remained looking at where Youth had gone. Arturia felt her heart become heavy and she finally spoke, "Earth to Diarmuid," she refrained from growling, "You with me?" She was certain that he was not going to catch her double meaning for sure.

He had finally snapped his head towards Arturia, "Ah?" He looked pained, and Arturia just couldn't find it in herself to be upset with him. The look in his eyes, his body slowly shivering, and just how his lips were settled in a frown.

"You're freezing aren't you?" She chuckled, self conscious of the fact that her laugh sounded more like a witch, she had to stop herself, "Here." She pushed the blazer into his chest, a smile on her lips nonetheless.

"What's wrong?" He appeared to have caught on to the melancholy behind Arturia's voice.

She shook her head rapidly, "Nothing," she assured coaxingly, "simply nervous, that's all." She bit the inside of her cheek to make it look a little more believable. _I'm just no good._

"Shall we head inside?" The tall man asked, offering an arm for her to take. She did not deny it, she had to play the part of being unfazed by the situation of Youth.

They strolled back towards the house and were soon met with a cozy warmth upon opening the door and the bright lights of the house as well as the chatter of the people. They had talked a bit as they walked throughout the rooms, not intertwining arms any longer as their relationship had to be kept silent. It was bout halfway into the cocktail party that Diarmuid turned to her upon them reaching an empty room.

"I must be on my way now." The conversation between the two had been quite dry ever since Youth departed, and to be frank, Arturia had seen this coming.

Arturia sighed, "But you haven't been here long enough." She urged him to stay… in a way, she was hoping he would listen because it somewhat proved how much he cared for her and if he left, she would take it as an indication that he still had feelings for Youth.

Diarmuid gave a frown, cutting the edge of his lips deeper into his cheeks, "I'm very sorry, but it is getting a bit late and I ought to be leaving." His eyes were glazed over with what seemed more like disinterest or something of the sort.

The boiling of the jealousy within her had finally bubbled over and she gave a scoff, "As if eight is any late." She crossed her arms over her chest; seeming more like a child throwing a fit.

"Arturia…" He blinked his amber eyes in confusion a few times, not understanding her sudden outburst.

The frustration of the party and _especially_ of his behaviour was released, "It's because of her, isn't it? I know you still like her—I mean of course you do, she's gorgeous and kind and just perfection and of course I'm not." And so her rant began, she couldn't keep silent.

"Arturia, what's wrong?" He had finally shown some sort concern over her, after she had nearly felt he had forgotten about her.

She looked at him, anger turning into sadness, "I'm not the only one you think about… I understand that Youth was a huge part of your life, I mean five years is so long and you even gave her _everything_. Of course you aren't over her… but, but I have feelings too. I'm supposed to be your girlfriend but you've never looked at me the way you looked at her; you were star-struck."

He frowned, his brows furrowing and his frown already becoming more prominent, "Arturia, you're my girlfriend and that isn't going to change because Youth suddenly showed up. I made the decision to move on when we started dating." There was a sort of uncertainty in his voice, almost as if he was afraid of what Arturia would do.

"But you didn't, did you? You saw her and you immediately changed. You were about to kiss me and were even flirting with me but you see her and shrivel up back into your shell that took me forever to cajole you out of. You looked like a nervous teenaged boy about to talk to the love of his life… Your heart still lingers on her, doesn't it?" There was a pause for she was hoping to get an answer, "Actually, you can go." She shrugged after noting that wasn't going to happen, "I'll try to trust you." She managed a fake smile and proceeded to leaving the room, closing the door behind herself and taking a deep breath before she went out to greet more guests.

Instead of hiding from her father's sight, this time, she actively sought him and the party continued without her trying her best to escape. She was formally introduced to everyone and then she was back to following her father about to find out what he truly wished to show her off to everyone.

She awoke the next morning, turning in her bed a few times for she had been restless; Youth was still on her mind. She slowly sat up and gave a loud sigh, " _Why_?" It was all she could say as she slipped from her bed and thought about the entire day that she had planned ahead—most of it was start to get to know the Company.

The warm shower was great for remembering everything that had happened the previous evening and she already started her day with grumpiness. She wore one of her suits and tied her hair in a ponytail, not bothering to put on makeup before she turned away from the mirror. Her usual stoic expression had made its comeback debut for another time.

Christmas was still a few days away and Arturia already knew the problems in their relationship were starting. Her phone began to ring and she reached for it, stretching her body over the chair and wrinkling her suit, "Hello?" She did not even bother to see who had been calling.

"Halo?" The much needed voice of Jeanne came through the other line.

"Hey Jeanne, how are you?" They had not seen each other since the beginning of the holiday break because of random occurrences that seemed to limit them seeing one another.

"Great, sweetheart, and you?" Jeanne replied; Arturia could basically hear the smile on the girl's lips. After the shorter blonde had responded, Jeanne came again, "So, I was calling to see if you wanted to meet up today, I really want to go out."

"I'm sorry, I do not think I will be able to make it. You see, father has me running around for the company's stead."

"Oh," the excitement in the older girl's voice started to run away, "I see… Okay."


	36. Christmas Eve

Jeanne stood at the park entrance, holding the coat around herself tighter. Her _boyfriend_ , she smiled at that word, had agreed to meet her at the park because both of them did not have a car for the day for it was their first official date. Of course, the ballet was a date but they weren't official then. The snow flakes fell slowly from the white sky and danced with the wind. The leafless trees now held a centimetre of snow on their branches, the dark brown contrasting nicely with the white puffiness. There were occasional evergreens that didn't fail to show the Christmas twist they held.

The cold air was stinging Jeanne's cheeks and nose, so she fixed her floral scarf to shield her face more effectively. The Irish boy was already late but Jeanne was definitely not phased by the situation because she knew he would show up, and if he didn't… well, she didn't think of that.

He gave her a call and the phone rang in her hands while she slipped off reindeer gloves. She slid the phone unlock and quickly gave a bright smile as she brought it to her ear, "Halo?" She answered, trying not to let the happiness and giddiness seep through the phone.

"Hey Jeanne," he sounded upset, and her heart began to beat hard in her chest.

"H-Hey…" She didn't mean to sound so upset, but she did. _Please don't say you can't make it…_

"Look, babe, something came up."

She sighed and tilted her head to the side. She could already feel the pain in her chest settle and the fear of being left alone in the cold become more prominent, "I…" She was trying to level out her voice so as to not let it shake, "I see. Well, maybe next time then…"

"Yeah, next time." He sounded a bit solemn and apologetic which was when she realized that he had yet to apologize, but she made no comment, "Okay, sweetheart, I'll see you later."

"Y-yeah, okay." After she hung up, huffed and threw her head back to look up at the falling snow, "Well, shake it off." She mumbled as she proceeded to shake her head, placing on a bright smile as she usually did.

She held her hands t her face and puffed warm air unto them because the stinging of her fingers were a bit too much to handle with her let down. Snuggling her face against the scarf, she closed her eyes for a second and shoved her hands back into their respective mittens and then her jacket pockets. It was Christmas eve day and she had begged her father to let her spend sometime with Cú and after what seemed like ages of convincing, she was finally able to do so only to have Cú leave her hanging.

She was trying for it not to let it get to her as she tightened the coat around herself and continued her way through the wintery park. Although the walkway had been lined with salt, the heavy snowfall was too much for the salt to handle.

Jeanne's violet gaze was fixed on the path ahead of her and it was a light tap on her shoulder that brought her back to reality and out of her sorrow. She turned around and blinked up at a tall man before her.

"Merry Christmas," Her heart swelled in her chest to see the young man before her holding a gift up and his familiar red eyes made her sigh. Her heart skipped a few beats and she could barely think properly.

The first thing she did was wrap her arms around him and bring him into a strong hug, "I thought you ditched me." She pouted as she pulled away.

"Did I upset you?" He asked, his hands still on her waist. Then, Cú brought a hand to her chin and made her look up to him, "You knew I wouldn't leave you alone, I hope."

She refrained from looking at him as her cheeks burned a vibrant red, "Well, you sounded so serious. A-and you know I'm gullible."

It was his turn to bring her into a hug, her eyes glossy and he knew she was a bit sensitive to being alone in a public area. She was strong and wouldn't show her insecurities but she still had them there, somewhere while she tried to be as strong as she could, "I wouldn't just leave you on Christmas." Then he held up the gift, a grin on his face, "Plus, I got you a little something."

She immediately frowned, "I didn't get you anything…" Now, she felt like crap. She had been making something for him, a few cookies, but her brother ate them all saying that Cú didn't deserve them because of his smoking habits.

His grin grew and he quickly kissed her cheek, "Babe, don't worry about that. All that matters is that we're together." _Wow, that sounded extremely cheesy_ , he scolded himself and nearly cringed at his own words.

Jeanne couldn't help but giggle right as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and led her past the park. The began walking through the city streets, passing by shops and were window shopping. The city streets were lined with lights and other Christmas decorations, bringing more joy to Jeanne whenever someone bid them a very Merry Christmas eve. It was the first time she was spending this holiday with a boy and it had taken her a long time to choose what she was going to wear and how her make-up was going to be.

"Oh, let's go in." Cú signalled at a coffee shop in the corner of a street. He opened the door for her and she quickly entered, shaking her head and stomping her feet so that the snow would fall off. Cú found a place for them to sit and he insisted he go and order instead of letting her stand in the line.

She sat patiently in the booth the found, shrugging off her jacket and analyzing the gift bag before her. She obviously felt bad but after a lot of reassurance from Cú… well, that still did not help the guilty feeling in her gut.

She tapped her fingers on the table and waited for Cú to return. Jeanne was leaning her head on her hand when she saw a woman walked past the booth, a beautiful woman. For a second, the young girl was stunned but she blinked as her eyes followed the woman to where she took a seat, a few booths away. Her wavy burgundy locks seemed to be softer than satin and the black coat she wore made her very impressive to look at.

A coffee was placed in front of Jeanne, snapping her back to her date, "Hello sweetheart," he smirked, "I'm deeply sorry for interrupting you, but I wanted to know if I could buy you something?"

Jeanne furrowed her brows and gave a slight tilt to her head, "Pardon? You _did_ just get me a coffee, Cú."

"A donut maybe?" He blinked at her as if she had not said a word.

The young lady was puzzled, looking over at the pastries that he had brought along with the coffee he had gotten them. She shook her head and looked at him again, searching his eyes for an answer. "Cú? You already got a muffin."

"Oh," he sighed, "don't tell me you forgot how we first met," he chuckled, his laughs filling the air along with the sweet smell of caramel, mint and coffee. Jeanne barely recalled the day because she had been worried over Arturia.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, looking back down at the warm drink before her and frowning a bit; she didn't like bitter things.

The boy took her hand and gave another laugh, "It's okay babe. Well, I hope you like the drink. It's a caramel latte or something."

She smiled up at him and reached over for the sugar. She took the lid off of the coffee cup and proceeded to pour mount Everest in her cup. Of course she wasn't going to ask him for a different drink, "Thank you."

They talked a bit and he had brought up the present and the fact that she should have opened it by now. He had to take out his phone for pictures as she gave into opening the gift. Her hands skimmed over the smooth decorated bag, landing on the yarn straps. She pulled them from the knot that held them together and continued to pull at the crunching red tissue paper.

Her eyes landed on a red box inside, a white ribbon holding the lid in place. She looked up at him and sighed, "You really shouldn't have." She mumbled, biting her lower lip.

"Okay, just open it." He hushed her and signalled for her to continue.

The soft ribbon was untied and soon she opened the small box, a popping sound filling the space between them. Amazed to find a sparkling silver and violet necklace. The thin silver chain held an amethyst up, decorated by other crystals—but definitely not diamonds. There was a tiny letter inside the box and after reading it, her eyes came back up to his, tears glossing them over.

"Do you like it?" He chirped, excited to see what she would say.

She simply nodded, there was no way she could speak without messing up her speech.

"Put it on," he urged, bouncing his leg under the table. She reached out to move her hair but she stopped her, "Wait, let me put it on for you." Cú stood from his seat and made his way towards her. He pushed her long wavy hair aside, soft but messy golden strand tangling his fingers. She had let it down from the braid and she looked absolutely stunning. He took the necklace in hand and slowly let it round her neck, his cold fingers only ghostly touching her neck, setting her cheeks ablaze.

"There we are," He whispered next to her ear and fixed her hair, "Now you can't say you don't have a boyfriend. It's a sign that you belong to me, it's almost like a collar if you will. You know, hounds need their mates too." His wink had done it all, leaving her a blushing mess and having to cover her mouth to refrain herself from saying something stupid.

"Cú?" They both jumped and turned to see the beautiful lady, "Oh my gosh, it really is you. Wow, you look rather handsome."

Cú was beet red and Jeanne had never seen him so flustered before, "What are you doing here?"

The woman's eyes grew a bit and she looked down, a bit embarrassed herself, "Well, you know," she shrugged, a nervous, but charming, smile on her lips. "Who's this? Your girlfriend? She's beautiful."

"Yes, she is." He spat and now Jeanne could tell that he was angry as well "But it's none of your business is it?"

She looked taken aback and she just blinked those pretty eyes at him while Jeanne was confused out of her mind. She was looking back and forth between her boyfriend and the woman, _Is this his ex?_

"Cú, I just came over to say hi. I wanted to see how you were doing." She just seemed so sincere that Jeanne couldn't be anymore confused.

"Well, no one asked you to waltz into my life again." He spat in return, his voice leaking with hostility, "I think I made it clear the last time we saw each other."

The woman sighed and patted her dress down a bit, "I came on behalf of a small business function with the Pendragons and I met with your brother."

Cú scoffed at the mention of his older brother, "The audacity. Fuck that, Jeanne let's go."

"B-but…" Jeanne argued while he pulled her to her feet.

He turned to her, the look in his eyes scaring her a bit and his harsh voice sending shivers all over her body, "I said we're leaving."

"Already off to a bad start for the relationship, aren't we?" They were all interrupted yet again, this time by a golden haired man.

"Gilgamesh." The woman greeted and Jeanne had to look down while Cú growled the boy's name.

"Wait, how do you know him?" Cú turned to the woman.

The red-head blinked, "Business; he's almost like a younger brother."

"And you?" Gilgamesh looked at them both, ignoring Jeanne completely because the uncomfortable feeling in his chest resurfaced when he saw Jeanne and Cú's hands intertwined.

There was silence for a bit and Jeanne was hoping she would catch their relationship this time—which she did, "Youth and I," she gasped at the name, "are not in acquaintance with each other anymore… She never made a good Duibhne." Cú then tugged Jeanne by the arm and let her exit the coffee shop along with him, coming into contact with the harsh winter evening breeze.

* * *

It was Christmas eve, and Arturia was standing outside Diarmuid's door. She was taking a few deep breaths to calm her nerves; they had not talked much after the whole fight at her party and she wanted to make sure they would repair the bad blood on Christmas. She closed her eyes, thinking back to the way he looked at Youth and she couldn't bring herself to ring the doorbell.

After forcing herself, she felt her hear beating in anticipation. What if he was not home? It was late now and he could have been doing something else; something much more important.

It was a while before the door swung open to reveal Diarmuid in a pair of sweats and a white t-shirt on. His hair was wet and his eyes grew at the sight of her, "Hello," he breathed.

She tilted her head and pulled her best smile, "Hello."

"Um, come in," he stepped aside and let her in. He walked her to the living room and gave her s mile, "So, uh, what brings you here?"

Arturia shrugged as he offered to take her jacket. After slipping off the thick black coat, she handed it to him, "I wanted to spend some time with you."

"Ah, thank you." He gave a nod and insisted she sit down. There was silence for a long time and then he spoke, "I was taking a shower, sorry that I took a while to answer the door."

"It's alright," She gave a soft smile and sat back on the couch, the conversation falling flat again.

Diarmuid cleared his throat, "I think, I think… we, uh, need to talk." His voice had been a bit uncertain but Arturia tried to think nothing of it.

"Ah," she gave a prompt nod, "Of course."

He took a deep breath, "Youth showing up doesn't mean I don't have feelings for you. It doesn't mean that I stopped liking you. I've had some time to think," a couple of days now, "and sure there have been times that I question what the hell I'm doing with a student, but I always come to the conclusion that I like you, and I can't be letting all my chances go."

She caught the last part of his sentence and she furrowed her brows, "Like you let Youth slip away?" She did not know anything about how they broke it off, but he hinted at mistakes.

"We are not talking about Youth." He sighed and shook his head,

"But we have to. If we talk about her, maybe we will not repeat the same mistakes." She had a point and he agreed. They needed to talk about Youth to clear the situation up, but he wasn't prepared for this.

Diarmuid shook his head, "Not yet."

 _Because you still love her_ , Oh, how she wished she could just say that, "When?" There was no better time than to talk about their relationship then. Arturia scooted closer to Diarmuid and looked him in the eyes, "Do you still have feelings for her?"


	37. Valentine's

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, you are all probably thinking "Ms. Atomic Bomb, why did you write a Christmas chapter and now a Valentine's chapter if it's not even Christmas???"   
> Well, dears, I wrote the Christmas chapter last year and the Valentine's earlier this year but I always update on FF . net first and I always forget to post here after...
> 
> With my sincerest apologies,
> 
> Ms. Atomic Bomb

Arturia was falling asleep in class. The semester had ended and she was no longer a student of Diarmuid. It was a great thing, though, in her mind. A lot happened in the new year. Her father, for instance, had decided to take a business trip to England and her sister also returned. It was hard to see Morgana go once again, but her life was in the UK and not in this city. Diarmuid had not answered Arturia's question on Christmas evening and that had caused their relationship to sour up. Writing her exam filled her with anxiousness because she simply did not feel comfortable being in the same room as Diarmuid.

"Diarmuid and I were talking yesterday," Jeanne spoke. Since Cú and her were dating, she once went over to their house and Diarmuid welcomed her with open arms, allowing her to visit as much as she wanted. Of course, there weren't many days she was free, but yesterday happened to be a day she strolled by for a visit.

Arturia didn't make a single sound, her pen drawing circles on the blank lined paper as the teacher typed away on her computer. The girls made sure to share the same English class when they were choosing electives and Arturia had even requested to change her schedule when the girls had ended up in different classes. The overheads were being thoroughly written down by the French girl but Arturia was not in the mood of class.

It was Valentine's Day and she was feeling upset because of the iffy relationship with Diarmuid. The last Valentine's Day she had ever spent with someone other than Jeanne was way back when she was dating Lancelot around two years prior. They had gone out to the movies because none of them had actually planned anything special, since Arturia's birthday had been just around the corner and called for a bigger celebration. Sure the boy had gotten her roses and a box of chocolates, but when didn't he?

"Well, he asked if we were going to do anything today. Obviously, I told him that we only hung out together on Valentine's." Jeanne smiled as she set her pen down on the desk after having finished copying the current slide down, "But how we did in Tenth grade, you went out with Lance at like eight. Instead of that, I was thinking we should go over to their place and stay until five or something and we spend the night together at my place. Girl's Night out style of binging movies."

Arturia lifted her head a little, leaning on her limp arm that was stretched across the desk, and still continued to draw circles and squiggles on the corner of her paper, "I would prefer not. Plus, it would be best for you to spend time with Cú since you both have just started dating. It would be your first time sharing a Valentine's Day with a boyfriend."

Jeanne groaned, rolling her violet eyes a bit, "Stop right there." She huffed, "You know I love you much more than anyone else—that's not my family, _of_ _course_. Valentine's Day is about being with people you love, and we are best friends. Friends come first at this point in time."

The Englishwoman ran a hand through her hair, closing her eyes for a little bit before leaning back on her chair and dropping her pen, "It's okay if you go see Cú."

"Well, first let's talk about Dia." They were sitting at the back right corner of the class, closest to the door and far enough away for anyone to really hear their whispered conversation, "It's been a month and a half, you guys need to talk."

"We have been talking." She replied, her lips a pout as she crossed her arms, slumping in her seat a bit more.

The chitter chatter of the class caused the teacher to switch the slide and a chorus of sighs interrupted their talking as everyone lifted their pens again, Jeanne not failing to follow through. She was quick to catch up, her pen rapidly scribbling down, "You know, he seemed like he really wanted to see you."

"Then why is it that he does not say so? If he is so very keen on seeing me, it should not prove him any difficult to come to me or inform me." Her green eyes flickered towards the clock on the wall, the second hand agonizingly ticking away.

"He loves you, I'm sure he does, Arturia."

"Love is a strong word, and if he does love anyone; it is surely Youth."

Jeanne had to refrain from rolling her eyes. She stopped writing, dropped her pen and took a deep, long breath. She rubbed her face, smudging a bit of lead on her cheeks without her knowledge; Arturia was acting stupid. Yes, Jeanne could see where she was coming from, but she was acting ridiculous.

"You act as if there is something wrong with me, why is that? I, for once, am thinking logically; I do hope you realize that."

Jeanne scoffed, "Of course you are, and you clearly know what you are doing. That is why you are acting petty."

"Petty?" Arturia gasped, "Are you serious? "

The violet-eyed female made no comment, her eyes only flickering towards Arturia before focusing on the new slide.

Lunch time had arrived with many proclamations of love to many students. Lancelot had gotten a handful of chocolate while Gawain filled his backpack to the point he could barely close it anymore. Guinevere was seated with a smile on her face as she shoved some chocolates into her mouth, she never got upset that girls confessed their love to Lancelot because that meant she got free stuff.

"Wow, Gawain, you got the jackpot today," she commented, eyeing his bag the way a vulture would with it's prey.

Gawain grinned, "Of course, I am single after all." He stated, popping his collar and making a 'sexy' face which caused Guinevere to roll her eyes and lean onto her boyfriend.

"Oh," she shot back up, "I just remembered something!"

Arturia and Jeanne had trickled in just in time, they took their usual seats at the table and Arturia gave her usual unamused expression while Jeanne gave a prompt nod.

"Do you guys remember our bet?" Guinevere chirped, batting her eyelashes, "I had nearly forgotten!"

"What bet?" Cu had so conveniently arrived while the memory dawned upon Jeanne, "I definitely want to get in on this."

Guinevere frowned, "Sorry Cu," she sighed, "The bet is over. The great news, though, is that I won!" She clapped her hands together, "Okay guys—and girls—time to cash in your bets!" She sung.

"What bet?" Gawain mumbled through his chocolate stuffed mouth.

Guinevere grinned, leaning unto the table as a chuckle slipped her mouth, "Oh boy, am I glad you asked. You see," she turned towards the table, talking mostly now to Cu, "we made a bet, a few months back. Lancey-baby and Artie bet two hundred fifty, Gawain went with three hundred. Jeanne, finally, bet five hundred—"

"Five hundred?" Cu nearly gasped, "What?"

"—cents." The brunette finished her sentence.

"Oh, _god_ you nearly gave me a heart attack." The blue-haired man sighed as he held his chest, "So, what was this bet about? Four on one seems interesting to me."

By now, the entire table was silent, looking in different directions, omitting their responsibility of owning up to the bet. Jeanne, however, was beet red while she stared straight down at her food, not even moving a single inch.

Another chuckle slipped from playful pink lips, "We made a bet that you and Jeanne wouldn't or would end up dating. I was right, you guys got together."

Cu furrowed his brows, "And Jeanne bet against us?"

"Mhm," Guinevere confirmed with a short nod, both her and the red-eyed male looking over at Jeanne while the others pretended there was nothing going on.

The boy looked at Jeanne, she could feel his eyes glaring at her and then—to her surprise—he patted her head, chuckles flowing from his mouth and his chest rose and fell, "I would say that I'm a little hurt, but now I know Jeanne has too much pride to have admitted she liked me."

Jeanne pouted and then a small whisper came from her lips, "I'm sorry."

"Look at her, she's adorable when she pouts!" Cu drew and arm around her shoulders and pulled her towards himself, ruffling her hair with his free hand.

Jeanne looked upset with the teasing but the glitter in her eyes gave her away. She was hiding her relief, and Guinevere could tell.

They were all interrupted by the undeniable squealing of some girls and the awkward 'Thank you' of a man. Guinevere was quick to look out at the scene, a gasp catching in her throat, "I-I just remembered!"

"You keep remembering odd things today," Arturia deadpanned, "and not any good ones."

"You're only salty you owe me money," Guin grinned, "Look, it's bae," she glanced over at the man that had a line of girls waiting to give him chocolate.

Arturia bit the inside of her cheek and then sighed, "So, what about Ua Duibhne?"

Guinevere was already arms deep in her bag, ruffling through it's contents in urgency. She was obviously looking for something, what—although—was unknown to the rest of the group. Finally, she pulled out a small box, as if it were some sort of treasure or Excalibur, "Behold, my people," she spoke the way a queen would to her subjects, "within the contents of this box are my unrequited feelings."

Everyone had a quizzical look on their face, looking in between a majestic Guinevere and unfazed Lancelot.

"Chocolates?" Gawain asked, his head tilting slightly, "Why?"

Guinevere blinked, "You have no heart." She shook her head, "Look here, peasant, these are for the apple of my eye."

"Lancelot? But aren't you already dating?" Jeanne lifted a brow.

"Ugh," the brunette grunted as she set the small box of chocolates down, "These are for Diarmuid. It's only three chocolates but at least it's something." Guinevere loved Lancelot. She did. Though, she had no problem admiring the beauty of other man—much more unattainable men. You see, she had many celebrity crushes and she saw Diarmuid as one. Lancelot also did not have a problem with it, he knew he could trust the young woman.

"How about you accompany me, Artie?" Guinevere sung, winking at her friend.

Arturia grimaced, "No." Don't get her wrong, she had nothing against Guinevere giving chocolates to her boyfriend, but she definitely did not want to see Diarmuid at the moment.

"Oh, come on!"

"Why don't you take Gawain? Or Lancelot?"

Guinevere shot her an even look, "Arturia. They're boys and one happens to be my boyfriend; that's won't do."

Arturia huffed, leaning her chin on her palm, "And Jeanne?"

"She's enjoying her time with Cu," The brunette had already rounded the table, "Now, let's go!" She grabbed the short blonde's wrist and pulled her to a standing position, "Time is running out and lunch time will be over soon!"

Guinevere possessed great strength when she wanted something done her way, and that meant she dragged Arturia against her will to get to Diarmuid. It took them a long while to reach the front of the line, but it was worth it for the brunette, "Oh, hello sir!"

"Hello," he looked down at the two girls a small smile on his lips and did his eyes just brighten up?

"Sir, I got you some chocolates. Obviously, I know you have a bunch, now, but," she shrugged, "I spent a lot of time getting these, so I do hope you enjoy."

"Thank you girls." He had a tender look in his eyes as the settled on Arturia, but Guinevere didn't know him well enough to notice the change in his gaze.

"Girl." Arturia corrected, "Guinevere is the only one that is involved in this ordeal; she simply dragged me along."

"Ah, well then, how about you two swing by my office?" He asked, trying not to seem fazed by the cold demeanour of the blonde, "Since I have way too much chocolate, I'll share some with you. Then, I'll have enough space to have your chocolates."

"Really?" Guin giggled, "We'd love to come around."

"No." Arturia deadpanned.

Guin elbowed her in the gut, "We'll be there, don't even doubt it!"


	38. Why?

Guinevere had practically dragged the short blonde along with her towards the science department after school. The walk there had not gone without a struggle and a scolding—three scoldings, in fact. The brunette already had a bright smile on her face, seeing as she had won over her (much) stronger friend.

Arturia stood next to her friend, the way a dog would when it was upset. There was a deep frown on her lips, cutting deep into her cheeks. Her eyes were trying not to land on the door as a teacher went looking for Diarmuid after the brunette had asked to see him.

"Come on," Guinevere tugged the blonde's shoulder, "smile already."

Arturia ignored her friend, the unsettling in her stomach very prominent when she noticed the man coming into view past the bend in the hallway. She bit the inside of her cheek, telling her stomach to stop with the somersaults—it was quite annoying.

He came into view, with all his handsome glory. Arturia could already hear the giggle in Guin's throat.

"Hello girls," he gave them a soft smile, the corner of his lips twisting smoothly. He always seemed to have everything under control. He slowly rolled up her dress shirt sleeves and ran a hand through his hair, "I have the chocolates in my class, I didn't want to clutter my desk. Right this way," he snaked past the two girls and instructed them to follow him. He decided it best to round the hallways of the school as opposed to cutting through the science office. It was just because he did not want to disturb the other teachers.

They reached the door of the dreaded chemistry classroom, Arturia pouting her lips all the while. Upon entering, the man walked towards a pile of chocolates on the countertop of the display bench.

"Take as much as you want girls, there's no way I could have this all by myself." He leaned onto the table top a bit, his arms crossing over and holding him up.

Guinevere gasped, "Oh! I forgot!" She called out.

"What?" Arturia immediately shot her head towards her friend, "What is it?"

Diarmuid raised a single eyebrow in question, analyzing the brunette before him in her odd panic.

"I'm allergic to chocolate." She frowned, red lips straightening and cutting into her cheeks.

The blonde scoffed, "What?" she gave a short and stupefied chuckle, "You had about ten chocolate bars this lunch break."

"They were gluten free. I' not allowed to have gluten, okay?" Guinevere was great at acting but not at lying.

"You had a piece of bread this morning—that you stole from me." Arturia's green meadow eyes darkened like the deep forest as she glared.

Guinevere shrugged, "I made sure it was gluten free." She mumbled, "Anyway! I'm sure Lancelot is waiting for me. Make sure to get a lot of chocolates, Gawain really loves them!"

Arturia couldn't help but grit her teeth as her friend disappeared behind the door. She kept her eyes on the blue metal door for a while, hoping her friend was joking around. After a few minutes of silence, she gave up, turning towards the teacher.

Diarmuid sported a shiny perfect-toothed smile. His white dress shirt fitted to him accurately, not failing to accentuate his strong arms. She preferred the colour green on him, it suit him best.

Her green gaze, as he liked, was also on him, "I fear I will not be taking any of these. They were given to you." She finally had thought of something 'witty' to say.

He pushed himself off the desk, rounding it and slowly stepping towards her, "Just a couple of chocolates will not hurt." He blinked.

Another step was taken towards her. She inched back, bottom hitting the desk, "I do not want cavities."

He was closer to her now. Standing only a foot in front of her, black tousled hair losing its hold when he ran a hand through it. Diarmuid took a small step towards her. Then, out of nowhere, placed his hands on the desk, on either side of her; caging her in place, "Why do you keep on ignoring me?"

His amber eyes had her entranced. Her heart began thumping in her chest, her cheeks setting on fire as he drew closer. She watched his eyes flicker down for a second and when he brought them back up, she noted they were clouded over.

"Why do you ignore my questions?" He asked, tilting his head slightly, his hands finding their way to her waist gently.

Right as she felt his hands, her skin burned. Her stomach might have fallen, she wasn't sure, but she felt empty, "I'm not ignoring them…" She hushed over. Why was she so quiet? Why did her voice nearly quiver?

"Then answer me," he too hushed it, as if he was trying to keep their existence a secret. His face approached a bit more, their noses nearly touching. His voice was now at her ear, "Are you upset with me?"

She felt his warm breath tickling her neck, his smooth voice sending shivers down her spine, and the sweet smell of cinnamon making her head spin, "Y-yes." _Oh dear_ , she was trying to hide her sudden uneasiness and she went and _stuttered?!_

"Why?" She almost jumped at the soft squeeze of his hands on her waist.

 _Why?_ She asked herself, _Why are you doing this?_ Her hands were gripping the edge of the desk, her knuckles turning white as she felt the high possibility of her heart jumping out through her mouth.

"I…" Arturia was finding it hard to focus with his breath on her neck. She had to shake her head slowly, "Because you still love her."

Diarmuid pulled away, his hands slipping from her waist. He bit his lower lip, "Arturia." His chest rose as he took a deep breath, "You want to talk about her?"

Once his hands had slipped away, she immediately felt the cold emptiness that was left behind on her hips, the butterflies escaped, and his eyes seemed to clear up, "We need to," she cleared her own throat; hoping to dispel the stuttering she had acquired a few moments prior.

"Why do you want to know so much about her? Whatever happened between her and I is in the past."

Arturia sighed, crossing her arms over her chest, "I have the right to know since I'm your girlfriend."

"Fine. I'll tell you." He nodded.

"Really?" Her eyes lit up instantly. This is all she wanted.

Diarmuid looked at her, his eyes intently looking at her, "I'll pick you up from fencing this Friday and I'll answer every question you have."

Arturia blinked, brows furrowing, "Friday?"

"I want sometime to prepare. Plus, I would really like to spend Valentine's day not fighting." He took a deep breath, "Well, Arturia, please take some chocolates. I won't be eating them all. Happy Valentine's day." He mumbled as he stepped towards her, quickly placing a kiss on her forehead.

"Happy Valentine's Day," he mumbled against her forehead before turning away, "Ill see you on Friday."

Arturia watched as he gave her a smile, exiting the room quickly after.

* * *

"How's your knee doing?" The blond boy next to her asked as they walked through the nearly empty hallways of the gym.

The fencing practice had gone rather well. She was starting to get her fencing game back on again, though, she knew it would take her a while to get into small scale competitions. She wasn't hoping for championships anymore, she did not want to go back after the accident, and she knew her bad knee wouldn't let her either.

Arturia managed a shrug, past the heavy gym bags, "It's going strong for now. Aches a little when I'm trying to sleep, though."

"True," he laughed, "You should warm up water and vinegar and apply it, it would be good."

"Thanks," She gave a soft nod as they made it to the sliding doors of the bright bricked hallway.

There was a light flurry of snowflakes falling in the cold February night. The gym lights only lighting up half of their faces as they turned towards each other to talk.

"What are you doing this weekend?" Bedivere asked as he brought a hand to rub the back of his neck.

Arturia thought about it for a while, "Well, nothing as of right now. It might change later, though. Depending if my father gets home."

"I was, um," he cleared his throat, a soft blush dusting his cheeks, "thinking that maybe you'd like to go out Sunday night? Like a coffee or something?"

Arturia's lips stretched, "Sure, it's been a while since we hung out like old times. It would be nice."

The snowflakes in her hair were enough to make any man's heart beat, but with the sparkle in her eyes and the smile on her peach lips was making the poor boy melt in the middle of winter.

"Your birthday is coming up…maybe we could do something then too…" He mumbled, his eyes lingering dangerously on her lips.

She seemed to have forgotten about her own birthday because she let out a gasp, "Oh! Right… I have to check if my father will be back by then."

"Of course," he nodded, "I can text you later."

Arturia smiled again, and here he knew he couldn't hold back anymore. She'd been his friend for years and ever since they joined fencing together he liked her. Her rare smiles, golden hair and vibrant green eyes… her smooth voice and strong nature—he liked all of her.

His hand reached out towards her, cupping her face and catching her off guard. He brought her face towards him slowly, his eyes steady on her lips.

She was stunned, still in place without any muscle moving, her mind completely blank.

The snow flakes fell without a worry; fluffy, slow, sweet…

_Beep! Beeeeeeeeeeep!_

Bedivere jumped, retracting his hand from her cheek as if he had almost been burnt to a crisp. His cheeks were burning, his heart beating rapidly, "I am so sorry… I… I don't know what came over me."

The loud obnoxious honking of the car had snapped Arturia out of her immobility. She flipped her head in the direction of the bright headlights past the falling snowflakes. _Diarmuid._

Arturia turned back towards Bedivere, her lips in a straight line, "No need to worry. I understand."

He gulped, "Arturia," he stopped her before she turned on her heel, "I… I like you. A lot." He sighed, the weight lifting off his shoulders.

Her green eyes widened as she looked up at him, "Pardon me?"

"I was hoping we could go on a date, maybe we could be more than just friends…" Bedivere was rubbing the back of his neck now, butterflies in his stomach.

"Bedivere…" she frowned, her gaze dropping to the whitening concrete, while her heart was filled with remorse, "I…"

_**Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!** _

She sent a glare in the direction of Diarmuid's car before turning back, a solemn expression on her facial features. She was scared to turn him down, their friendship seeming to be tested, "Actually, Bedi," She thought it best to call his nickname like the olden days, "I have a boyfriend…"

Arturia watched as the hope in her friend's eyes was sucked away. His hopeful and nervous smile faded slowly and he seemed a bit shocked, "Oh…" his cheeks were set ablaze with embarrassment, " _Oh,_ is that who keeps honking?"

Arturia managed a nervous laugh as she nodded, "Uh, yes."

"Ah…right." He nodded, "I…I should go apologize. He's probably really upset." The young boy began to make his way towards the nice silver car.

"No, no, that's not necessary." She stopped him, reaching out towards him in the cold night, "I'll explain it."

"I insist." He spoke, sternness in his voice.

She shook her head, "I assure you, he is not upset. Dia is a forgiving man." It took a bit more convincing but she was successful in coaxing him to not speak with Diarmuid after a few minutes.

"Who is that?" It simply had to be the first question Diarmuid asked when she got into the car, didn't it?


	39. The Last of Winter

Arturia glanced out the car window, the snowflakes flashing past them while the squeak of the windshield wipers was he only thing filling the car with life. There was complete silence—even the radio was turned off. Arturia had kept silent when she entered the car and avoided Diarmuid's question. Instead, she found it best to show her cold shoulder, if Diarmuid did not answer her question last time, there was no need to answer his. _No,_ she was not being petty.

Diarmuid cleared his throat, "It is not very mature of you to ignore me, you are aware."

Arturia sighed, not daring to turn her head towards him. There was nothing that she needed to explain to him; quite literally nothing. Yes, Bedivere liked her, and it made her nervous but luckily, nothing had happened between them; meaning there was nothing she needed to justify herself for.

"I asked you a simply question, Arturia." He grumbled over, she could hear the fretfulness in his voice; irritation leaking through his words.

She continued her silence, her mind trying not to focus on the man next to her.

"I promised I would tell you about Youth, and so I will." He spoke, jealousy subsiding and allowing him to take a deep breath. _Trust_ , it was important in a relationship.

She turned towards him, stunned a bit to see him volunteering himself, "Honestly?" Her eyes had grown, expanding the meadow within. Her lips parted slightly and there was a slight tilt in her head as she inquired.

The car soon rolled to a stop in the snowy parking lot of a coffee shop. The cold evening wind howled through the streets of the otherwise abandoned street while the snowflakes fell in a white flurry.

Arturia tightened her ponytail, before zipping up her jacket and shoving her hands in the furry pockets. She shivered; the sweatpants she wore were sadly quite thin and the wind blew through her bones, her skin lifting with goosebumps and a chill fleeting through her body.

The little bells rang above her head as she stepped into the store shaking her head to shake off the snow flakes. Wiping her combat boots on the mat, she stepped through the inner door and right towards the counter. She rubbed her hands together and puffed warm air onto them before looking up at the menu and grazing her eyes over it.

Diarmuid reached her not long after and quickly ordered the first coffee he found appealing and Arturia followed suit. After collecting their drinks, they found the most secluded booth in the shop and settled down, slipping out of their jackets.

"So…" She hummed lowly her eyes settled on the coffee before her, the vapour gently dancing up towards the ceiling and disappearing halfway up, "How did you meet?" It was a simple start; smooth, easy—not sudden.

"High school." His answer was dry. Then he took a deep breath, "We shared a class in sophomore year and we sat across from each other. It wasn't until a few months later that we had begun to date."

Arturia nodded, "And then?"

"We… went to prom together in senior year, went on a few trips to England by ourselves. Cú became quite attached to her around that time, Scatty liked her too. I guess, they really thought we would be together forever…" He rubbed his neck, "I thought that too."

He was fidgeting with the coffee cup's paper holder. His fingers ripping it bit by bit, "We graduated together, went to University together, shared some courses… Around second year we, um," she folded his hands together as his cheeks dusted in a pink, "you know, yeah…"

Arturia peaked through her lashes to see the look on his face, "Slept together?" She guessed.

Diarmuid sighed and nodded, "We had been dating for four years and we had really grown together. That was when I had decided that we should spend the rest of our lives together, so I proposed in third year."

The blonde looked back down, her heart twisting just at the regret in his voice, "How did it end?"

"We were planning the wedding; it was to be in the spring of the following year, possibly before graduation. Youth had decided that she would take a year off and move to Australia." He was now tapping his hands on the table, anxiety taking the best of him.

"Australia?"

A nod, "Yes, she had this dream of wanting to live in Australia. So, we planned of moving there and returning to Ireland for the wedding. It was about a week before we were to leave and everything was perfect; we were in bliss and in the calm before a storm. My father called."

"Aengus?"

"No," Diarmuid shook his head, "Donn. I… I always knew I was adopted, sometimes Scatty would needlessly be mean to me when we were younger and I never had truly fit in. Aengus told me when I was in senior year of high school, but he never told me who my father was, so it was a huge surprise."

Arturia reached out towards the man, landing her hand on his, easing his restlessness.

"I had a lot of questions I had wanted to ask, a lot of things I wanted to know. I mean, I was only truly understanding who I was… it was a big part of who I was and I did not know anything about it." He breathed, "Sadly, Australia was a big part of who Youth was too."

There was silence that surfaced, but then he spoke again, "I had to choose."

The soft jazz music that filled the coffee shop was mixed with the scent of fresh coffee beans, a hind of salted caramel in the air and carrot cake. The furnace was running, a distant murmur heard past the jazz songs. Unidentifiable chatter in the nearby booths and a few calls from the barista over orders.

"And I chose my father." He blinked, "So I let her go. It was a hard decision that I regretted for years every time I would catch her in the corner of my eye while I was at social events."

The Englishwoman rested her head on her hand, a soft frown on her lips just as she tightened her grip on his hand, "You… made the right choice."

He chuckled, "Of course you would say that."

She laughed, "No, I actually mean that family always has to come first, I guess."

"Yeah," he nodded, "I understand… Look," he stared at her, amber eyes intensely contacting hers, "A huge part of my life was spent with Youth, much too long, and sure, I feel some sort of feelings for her… but I do not love her, Arturia. I care about you, now. I…I know you are still young but to me, a relationship is serious… I'm not here to play you or use you."

"Bedivere, his names is Bedivere." Arturia spoke, leaning back on the booth's red seat.

"Pardon?" Diarmuid furrowed his brows.

"We're childhood friends but we stopped talking when my mother passed away. I recently started speaking to him because of fencing and he likes me, as I found out today." She crossed her arms over her chest, "But I strictly told him that you were my boyfriend and he immediately apologized."

"Ah," he nodded, "the boy that tried to kiss you today." He recalled, a bit of jealousy bubbling up inside him.

"You don't need to worry about him, we are simply friends."

* * *

"Soooo?" Jeanne grinned as they made their way through the hallway. "How was your date yesterday?" She cooed.

The hallway was not as busy, now that the days were getting warmer, people were exiting the school just as the bell would ring. It was about late April, Arturia's birthday had come and gone and nothing much was done for her 'big eighteen', as Jeanne phrased. Arturia and Jeanne had spent it together by driving to the lake and having a picnic, Bedivere had gone out with her for a coffee in the morning along with Lancelot and Gwen because the brunette would not allow the man to pull any moves.

Dinner was spent with Jeanne too as her father had extended his stay in England and would not be back for a couple of weeks more. And after the entire heart-to-heart with Diarmuid they had gone on a few dates here and there, their relationship building again.

Arturia supressed her smile, "It went well." Her eyes fell to the tile floor in front of her as they neared her locker.

"You see, I'm happy you spoke with him, it really cleared things up." Jeanne was grinning while skipping, she seemed cute with the twirls she made every now and again and the swing to her skirt.

They finally reached Arturia's locker, the shorter of the two swirling her lock and pulling it before opening the metal door, "Well, things really did get better."

"You know, I saw Youth the other day…" Jeanne tapped her cheek with her index finger, violet eyes looking up as she recalled the event, "She was talking with Gilgamesh."

Arturia wouldn't lie that she was still jealous of the grace that the woman held, "What about?"

Jeanne shrugged, "Hnn? I could not catch a single word because Cú immediately pulled me away, he has a vendetta against her."

"Speaking of mister twerk, isn't he waiting for us?" Arturia's eyebrow raised in question.

Jeanne couldn't help but laugh, "Mister twerk? What does that mean? Oh my gosh!" Her giggles filled the air around them as they continued down the stairs, "Where did you get this from?"

"Diarmuid tells me that he twerks sometimes," Arturia joined the light-hearted giggles.

Wiping a tear from her eye, the Frenchwoman held her stomach, "Please, don't do this to me."

Reaching the parking lot, Jeanne immediately looked around for her boyfriend, scanning the side of the school but not finding any sign of the young man, "Wait here," she turned towards her best friend, smile still bright on her lips.

Arturia waved her off as she ran around the corner of the school. She had gotten her Biology test mark back and she was ecstatic with how she had done, so nothing was going to make her upset… or so she thought. Turning the corner, she had seen the back of her boyfriend, before she could call out to him she noticed the cigarette in his hand.

A frown cut deep on her cheeks, "Hey," she called with a hint of irritation, forgetting her previous ecstasy.

Cú jumped, dropping the cigarette and stepping on it quickly to smother it while he coughed not so subtly, "H-hey!" he waved over to her, a bit uncharacteristic of him, "When did you get here?"

"Just right now," she replied, her eyes on his black shoes, "You better pick it up. I'll report you for littering."

He laughed, "Babe," he walked towards her, "you're adorable."

"Pick it up." She deadpanned as she turned on her heel. Sure, Jeanne could be a pushover at times, but she certainly wasn't when it came to Cú's smoking habit. They had discussed it a couple of times, he had promised to quit or at least not smoke in front of her but she hated having to endure the toxic smell that clung to his clothes and the restlessness he had when he had yet to smoke his cigarette.

He bent down, keeping silent for he did not want to upset her any further.

"Well," she shook off her temporary anger, "let's get going, Artie's waiting." She then returned to smiling and proceeded to skip towards the parking lot again. She just wanted what was best for Cú, but she knew she needed to stop being so pushy, he would come around sooner or later; all she needed to do was pray.


	40. Heartbeats

Arturia sat on the kitchen counter, watching Diarmuid prepare dinner for the evening. She swung her legs and tapped her fingers on the granite, just keeping her eyes on her boyfriend and enjoying the day.

"Medium rare?" He turned to her, that cheesy apron still on him.

She refrained from smiling at his tousled hair, apron and goofy smile, "Yes, that would be perfect." She grinned, leaning back onto the counter.

He turned back, now paying more attention to the meat he was making. He looked happy. There was light music playing in the living room—dancing towards the kitchen. The smell of beef surrounding them and the smallest of movement in his hips affirmed that he was feeling happy.

"What are you thinking about?" Arturia asked, leaning forward.

"Hn?" He let his gaze return to her, his eyes blinking and long lashes fluttering.

A grin snaked on her lips and she hopped down from the counter. She walked up to the man and slowly wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him. His arms slid over her waist, drawing her closer. She let her laugh slip and she looked away.

"What is it?" Diarmuid asked, his hazel eyes looking down at her.

She pulled him down to her lips without warning and planted a soft kiss on them.

He laughed and kissed her back, rubbing circles on her waist.

Arturia laughed into the kiss and slowly pulled away.

"What is it?" He mumbled again, this time against her lips.

She could smell his cologne, like the first time they kissed. She could feel his tensed shoulders as if he were keeping himself in check or trying not to make her uncomfortable. "I had to kiss you, you're Irish."

He had to hide his blooming blush, a laugh erupting from his chest as he looked down at the cheesy apron, "I forgot about that," he rolled his eyes before he kissed her on the cheek, "I _definitely_ forgot about that."

Arturia hugged him tightly and then let him go, "You better not let that meat burn."

He lifted her chin up towards him and then gave her a peck on the lips, "I promise it will be delicious."

"I have no doubt."

After dinner and a glass of orange juice (Very elegant, I know), they made their way to the living room where they planned to watch a few movies before calling it a night. Currently, Jeanne was busy with work and Cú said that he had some business to take care of and he would spend his time with his sister, who lived on the other side of the city. Thus, with no double date, they decided to spend their time at home.

"What are you up for?" Arturia asked, laying down on his lap as she flipped through the CD album.

He brushed her hair, feeling how soft and silky it was; almost as if he were caressing satin, "Whatever you would like."

"Oh," she huffed, "You better choose something, I have no idea what I want to watch right now." She peered over the CD case, "Anything that interests you?"

He twirled her hair, "Mystery?" He murmured, lifting a brow.

A smile grew on her lips and she sat up, her hair falling from his grasp, "Awesome, I have the perfect one."

Arturia stood from the couch and quickly searched through another Album before finding the CD that she had been searching for. She popped it into the player and hurried back to Diarmuid, leaning her head on his shoulder. "You know," she whispered to him as the movie began to play, "it's nice being here." A blush lit her face and the man next to her just chuckled.

"It's nice having you next to me." He whispered back, kissing her head gently.

The couple kept silent for most of the film, except when they were arguing over who the killer was. Of course, they were both wrong in the end.

"I still think the girl would have been a good plot twist." Diarmuid popped a grape into his mouth.

"No." Arturia shook her head, "It should have been the mother. I swear, that woman gave me the creeps." She laughed, faking a shiver.

Diarmuid shrugged, "I think it was too bloody."

"Gory, you mean?" The young woman corrected.

"Whatever," he laughed, "I'm a Science teacher, not an English one."

Arturia was back to laying on his lap, "So glad you aren't." She giggled and then pulled him down towards her again, just so that he was centimeters away, "I would have hated you."

His honey eyes had fixed on her pale lips; they looked rough and chapped, but oh so kissable, "And why is that?" He hushed over, as if people were there to hear them.

"English teachers are much too cocky for my taste." She answered back in the same quiet tone.

"And what about me?" He asked, leaning closer as his hair fell close to her face.

She shrugged, "Hmm," she bit her lip, "I don't know."

He laughed, "What do you mean?"

"Well…" She let her eyes drift from his, "You're a bit strict."

"Ha! Hardly."

Arturia nodded, "Oh, yes you are! You barely let me see you at school."

Her gave her an unamused look, " _Riight_ ," he deadpanned. Diarmuid looked back at her lips (of which she had pouted to one side), her mesmerizing green eyes letting him go for a second. And then, as if in a spell, he kissed her.

Their lips moved against one another and she sat up, not once breaking the kiss. They settled on the couch a little more comfortably. His right hand held her face gently while his left was placed securely on her back, so she wouldn't topple over and onto the floor.

She had her hands tangled in his hair, lightly grasping the dark curls in her fingers. She was seated next to him, legs off to one side. His lips tasted like orange juice but it did not bother her.

Arturia was the one to stop the kiss as she pulled away from his lips; her soft breaths on his jaw.

The television turned off after a few minutes of inactivity, sending the room into a dark abyss.

Her right hand slid over his neck, slowly and teasingly. Her fingers stopped on his collarbone and with ghostly touches, outlined it, reaching his shoulder. She felt the muscles under her hand and then she pulled him back into a soft kiss.

Diarmuid was warm, soft and yet tense under her touch; but she enjoyed it. The way goosebumps would form on his neck as she tugged his hair a bit, or how his breathing sped up with every kiss, even just how his face was flushed and he seemed confused when he opened his eyes after a kiss.

He flinched when she set a simple kiss on his jaw, "I-I," he pushed her away gently, "I think we should stop here for the night." He was not really concerned of where things would lead as their kisses had not been suggestive but he did think that there had been enough of kisses for the night.

"Oh," she frowned.

"It's rather late now and maybe I should drive you home." He spoke, reaching for the remote of the television, so that they could at least see something.

Arturia shrugged, "Or I could stay the night?"

"No. No, that really would not be gentlemanly of me." He shook his head rapidly, "Your father would be worried."

"I'm the only one at home today. Father is still in London, in case you had forgotten." She grumbled as she sat properly on the couch.

No comment.

"I am not suggesting we sleep in the same bed. I could borrow Cú's room for the night; I'm sure he would not mind." She continued.

"I just feel I have to take you home. It is my duty to make sure that you're safe." He answered, his voice low.

Arturia rubbed her neck, "What would be better than to let me stay over and have me sleep in the room over? Then you wouldn't have to worry about me falling down the stairs or getting killed in my own home like in the movie. You know, killers tend to attack young girls in a big empty house."

Diarmuid cringed, shaking his head.

"One out of ten murders happen to women at home, you do know that, right?" That was a clearly made up 'fact'.

She was a tough cookie, "Fine," he huffed, "but only for tonight. Since you're home alone and after this film I would not like to be the one responsible for your death."

She grinned, "A great choice."

"But," he paused, "I would prefer if you sleep in my room and I in Cú's since I am sure he would not like his girlfriend's best friend sleeping in his room."

"Deal." She stood from the couch and followed him up the stairs after they had shut the T.V. off for good.

He opened the door for her and she trickled in, taking note of the green bedspread and white pillows. There were a few family pictures here and there but the room was rather void of anything that personalized it. It looked like a normal room.

"Here we are, I hope you like it." He smiled at her.

Arturia stepped in, walking to the King bed and falling on it, "Woah, this is a nice bed."

Diarmuid nodded as he leaned on the door frame, "I guess."

She laughed, "Of course it is."

They were silent for a while, just looking at each other.

Arturia coughed, "I'll get lonely here."

It was his turn to laugh, "We made an agreement."

"Well, I'm sure Cú would not like you sleeping in his bed either." She deadpanned, "How about I sleep on the floor and you on the bed?"

Diarmuid shook his head, "No, there is no way I'm letting you sleep on the floor."

"It's not _that_ uncomfortable. I always do it when Gwen, Jeanne and I have a sleepover at Jeanne's." She explained, looking at him with big green eyes.

"No, I'll sleep on the floor if you feel lonely."

A blush ran across her face and she looked down, hiding herself from the light above her, "I would not like it if you were uncomfortable because of me."

"No, I wouldn't be. So far as you feel safe, it is all I could ask for." He pushed himself off the door frame and walked towards one of the many closet doors, pulling out sheets and blankets.

Arturia awkwardly sat on the bed, silent as she watched him get his makeshift futon ready. He handed her a red pair of sweatpants and a black t-shirt.

"Here," he smiled, "I am certain you would not like to sleep in that." His eyes ran over the uniform, "It would not be comfortable."

Arturia laughed and she gave a nod, "I suppose so." She slipped off the bed, "May I borrow the washroom so I could change?"

"Sure, just don't forget to bring it back." He gave a cheeky grin.

Arturia glared at him in a light-hearted manner, "So silly," she commented and then continued off to the washroom.

* * *

"Are you asleep?" Arturia whispered, looking over at the electronic clock. The neon green light blinding her eyes for a bit until she read the time.

_1:06_

"No," Diarmuid whispered back and slowly shifted.

Her hand fell over the edge of the bed, "Can I hold your hand?"

He did not reply.

She sighed, ready to pull her hand up again but it was stopped midway when he took a hold of it. His hand was warm, and big; it was refreshing.

"Thank you," She whispered, her eyes slowly closing with the reassuring grip around her hand.

* * *

Jeanne huffed as she sat on her bed, hugging her knees tightly. She hit her head against her knees a couple of times and closed her eyes shut. Her mind was out and about leaving her much too pensive for her own good. It was late but she was still feeling insecure.

She was strong, but not after a long day at work where everything seemed to go wrong. Not when her mind was telling her she wasn't worth it. She knew she was worth it, but the doubt still lingered. She had to be patient, but it was too difficult when everything was piling up on her. The pressures of university, her career and a boyfriend were heavy for her to carry by herself.


	41. Trouble

"Jeanne, Jeanne, _Jeanne_?"

"Hn?" The young blonde finally stopped dazing off, her eyes settling on her friend before her. She had been spacing for about ten minutes now, but it was not the first time she had that day. She finally snapped out of her thoughts, shaking her head softly to let her anxiety cool down and her thoughts to halt where they wandered.

"Is everything alright?" The brunette leaned forwards unto the cafeteria table, "You haven't been yourself this week."

She fidgeted with the spoon in her hands, letting the light that shun on it reflect around them, "Yes, I'm alright."

Guinevere frowned, huffing loudly, "It's not like you to not eat the food on your plate… _especially_ when it's free."

Jeanne laughed, clearly nervously. She shook her head, "It's nothing, really."

The young brunette scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest, rolling her eyes, "Nothing? Don't lie to me. I know you much too well. We've been friends for four years now, what's biting you?"

Jeanne shrugged, "Nothing."

Guinevere sighed, reaching over for Jeanne's hand.

They were alone at lunch that afternoon. Gawain and Lancelot had a soccer meet and would be gone for two days, while Arturia was of 'helping' the science department with 'errands' and Cú had been dragged to detention because of smoking on school property. Thus, the two females were sitting in their usual cafeteria table, originally talking.

"Look, I know Arturia has been much too busy to pay attention to things lately but I'm also your friend. _Best_ friend. I hope that you see me as that too."

"I do," Jeanne nodded, "I just don't want to bother you with stupid things."

"Jeanne. _Please_. What ever may be troubling you is clearly not stupid. You never get this upset over simple things. So," Guinevere breathed, "come on, let's talk. Should we go to talk in a quieter place?"

The blonde hung her head but slowly nodded it, gathering her things and standing. They walked in silence to wherever they had deemed to be silent, which was the nurse's office. Since there were individual rooms, Guinevere asked the nurse with her sweetest voice if they could have one.

"So… what's wrong?" Guinevere jumped on a desk to sit on it, one by a big window.

Jeanne plopped down on the bed, skirt puffing up for a couple of seconds before flattening down again, "J-just… I don't know really." She shrugged, "I'm just being ridiculous."

The brunette dropped her shoulders in short defeat, "No, that's not true. Jeanne, listen to me, I promise you that if we talk about it, you'll feel better."

"I'm sure it will only make it worse."

"No," Guin swung her legs, "How about I start? I can talk about what has me anxious and then maybe you'll feel more open to talk, yeah?"

Jeanne kept silent, looking down at her skirt.

"So, Lancelot has been impatient lately. I don't know why. He gets jealous, he starts fights with me and he compares me to Arturia." Jeanne lifted her head upon hearing this, "Now, I know everything that happened between them but for some reason after all we've been through, he still thinks about her." Guin shrugged.

Still no words left Jeanne's lips.

"I know he likes me, I mean, we've been dating for about three years now. But, he goes on and still talks about her. I have never been jealous of Arturia, save for the part that Diarmuid fell for her—but that's all in good heart." She held a hand to her chest, "I'm still not jealous, per se, but just very hurt. The other day… Well you know me, I'm always fawning over cute boys; he just snapped. He went on and on about how Arturia would never do that and how I was not paying attention to him. But, he never had acted like that before. He never brought up Arturia.

"And then I started thinking about it and I stole him from Artie… I realized that I had just taken him like that. And then," her voice cracked, even though her face was still stern, "I realized how much of a horrible friend I am and how forgiving Artie is. If I were in her position I'd hate me, but she holds no slice of resentment and I don't know why."

Jeanne stood, the bed creaking in response. She walked to her friend and wrapped her in a hug, holding her tightly.

"I don't deserve anyone's kindness. I'm practically a who—."

"Wait!" Jeanne pulled back, holding the brunette by the shoulders, "No, no, _no_ , you're _not_. Where did that come from? You're such a great friend and you did not steal Lance from Artie; they broke up."

Her eyes were red, tears pooling at the corner of her eyes, "They broke up because of _me_."

The blonde pet her friend's head, trying to calm her down, "That's not true. Now, Lancelot isn't trying to compare you to Artie. He's just troubled. Maybe, you could compliment him a bit more, flirt with him, make him feel like you are _his_ girlfriend. He just feels you're paying attention to actors and stuff more than him."

"But he knows that I like him a lot."

"But," Jeanne bit her lip, "he wants you to show it and not just say it."

Guinevere took a deep breath, blinking her tears away, "You're right!" She assured herself, smacking her thighs, "Yes, that's what I should do." Then she slapped her own cheeks, "I was acting stupid."

"You weren't stupid. It's only natural to worry."

"The same goes to you."

Jeanne laughed, "Right, so I guess it's my turn to talk, isn't it?" Guin nodded, "Well, I don't think I can handle having a boyfriend at the moment. Especially not Cú."

Guin gasped, "You're not breaking up, are you?"

Jeanne shook her head, "No… well I hope not. It's just that…" She scratched her head. "I can't keep up. I know, _I know_ it's super hard to quit smoking but I'm tired of seeing him not try. Well, I don't know if he has made an effort to stop, but I see no progress. He is still having two cigarettes a day and I can't stand it. Then… I got accepted by Oxford and my parents want me to go but I don't. I want to join the military."

Guin nodded, giving her time.

The blonde gulped, "I just don't want to deal with all that. I don't want to be thinking about Cú if I have to worry about school and what my parents want. I don't want to think about anything."

"Well," Guin sucked at giving advice and she knew, "How about, you sleep over at my place tonight and we forget stuff for today? Having a boyfriend is sucky sometimes but you have to trust him if he promised you something. I'm sure he'll pull through for you, I know Cú cares about you, a lot."

Jeanne nodded, "Sure, I guess I could do that. But I have to ask my parents first. Are you inviting Arturia?"

Guin shrugged, "Could it be just the two of us with boy problems? Arturia is jumping on one foot right now and I don't want to depress her with our sad talks."

She laughed, "I guess you're right."

* * *

After getting approval from Jeanne's parents, the girls made their way straight to Guin's house after school and since Jeanne was off for the day, it worked out in their favour. They did not even wait for anyone before heading off.

"Welcome!" Guinevere opened the door, "To my not-so humble abode!" The open door revealed marble floor and high ceilings. They walked in, Jeanne was already quite familiar with the layout of the house since she had slept over countless times. The house was spacious, ivory painted walls, chandeliers and a spiral stair case that they walked up to get to the second floor. There were countless painting and sculptures that decorated the house—Guin's mother was an artist and a very famous one in Europe.

"So… what are we going to do?" Guinevere asked.

Jeanne shrugged, "I'm not sure, what would you like?"

Guin lifted a finger, "Chick flick, dance, eat, or we could also write my blog if you wanna help me."

Jeanne grinned, "How about, Music, food and your blog."

"So it shall be!" The brunette clapped her hands together quickly and ran to her room, soon followed by Jeanne, "Today's edition will be about reencountering lost loves. What do you know about that?"

"Anything K-dramas taught me."

Guin gulped, shrugging, "Good enough!"

* * *

The two girls walked towards their class, laughing about the previous day's events.

"What has my babe so giddy?" Cú winked and wrapped an arm around the short girl. He had quite literally appeared out of nowhere because there were no other hallways near them.

Jeanne smiled up at him, still noting the smell of death that clung to him like a desperate wife, "Nothing, just some funny stuff."

"Why else would you be laughing?" He raised a brow.

"It's girl stuff." Guinevere answered pulling Jeanne towards her and away from her boyfriend, "Nothing to concern yourself with."

Cú lifted a brow, "Feisty so early in the morning, huh Guin?"

"Glad you noticed." Her smile came out rather sarcastic.

"What's got you so fired up?"

"Nothing." She deadpanned, "It's just that Jeanne and I were talking and then you came and interrupted us, that's all."

"I see I am not welcomed here. And I know much too well to overcome my stay. I'll see you around," he gave a two-finger salute and grinned before turning to Jeanne, "And I'll see you after school." He winked at his girlfriend and gave her a kiss on the cheek, heading off soon after.

"You did not have to be so mean to him…" Jeanne mumbled.

"Oh yes, I think I did."

They parted at the sound of the bell, hugging each other farewell before also heading off to their respective classes. With the new semester, Jeanne had first period English and she was not very excited for it.

"Jeanne!" Arturia waved her over, she was already seated at her desk, waiting for Jeanne to arrive for class.

Jeanne smiled and walked towards her desk, taking a seat next to her friend, "Hey."

"You ran off yesterday and didn't wait up." Arturia frowned, "Did you get called in for a shift?"

Jeanne shook her head, "No, Guin and I went to her house afterwards since she wanted help writing her blog."

"Yeah, I saw she updated." Arturia leaned back on her seat, shrugging off her jacket, "It was a good edition. I liked it, but very angsty."

"Mhm, we based it off experience and K-dramas."

Arturia nodded, "True, true. Anyway, how are you and Cú doing?" She smiled leaning unto the table, "Any updates in your relationship?"

"No," Jeanne deadpanned, "Nothing. I've been avoiding him more or less."

"Why?"

"I'm just a little all over the place and I need to settle things before something goes wrong." Jeanne shrugged, "Having trouble with school."

"Maybe instead of ignoring him, you could talk to him about it. It worked for me when you helped me out." Arturia suggested, "I know it's troubling but it would be better to talk with him than to make him think that you stopped liking him."

Lunch strolled around at a tiring pace, Jeanne and Arturia walked to the cafeteria lazily talking about workload and their teachers. They made it to the cafeteria with no problem and sat down with Guinevere who had already been seated. Cú was still in detention and would be there for the entire week as he informed them.

* * *

"Why are you asking to meet me?" Gil crossed his arms over his chest, leaning onto the table in the room, "And in the broadcast room of all places?"

Grainne smirked. She shrugged, pacing about the room, "Oh, you know, just wanted to finalize things."

He lifted a brow, "What do you mean?"

She bit her lip, winking at him, "You said you wanted out a few weeks ago, but it didn't end there. You are chickening out, aren't you?"

"What?" Gil groaned, "Are you dense?"

Grainne blinked, "Then why else would you quit wishing to find out?"

"Because, unlike you, I do not like frolicking in the ruin of people's lives." He scoffed, rolling his eyes, "I have better things to do."

"I beg to differ," she grinned, unbeknownst to Gilgamesh; a red light flickered on, "I have a feeling that you like the little Jeanne girl, huh?"


	42. Public Announcement

The cafeteria drowned in a deafening silence as two voices emerged from the P.A system. Jeanne—particularly—stopped eating, setting down the sandwich before herself a little amazed at what she had heard. Her friends immediately looked her way at the sound of her name, shocked expressions written on their faces. Oddly enough, she kept her calm. Not even a blush dusted her cheeks nor her eyebrows show any signs of surprise.

"Yeah, right. As if I would ever allow myself to like her," Gilgamesh scoffed.

Jeanne sat silent, her ear tilted towards the speaker. A little surprised to hear the young man's voice. Once upon a time she had feared that the young man liked her; the time he leaned in for a kiss but teased her instead, for example. She did not take his statement to heart, in fact she preferred it that way; she never wanted to hurt him.

"Oh, I do hope so. How are things with her going?" It was obviously Grainne that was speaking to him, her high pitched womanly voice was hard to miss. She sounded coy as she spoke, "Does she believe you?"

Now this sentence was what caught Jeanne's undivided attention and caused her brows to furrow. She blinked, her eyes slowly looking up at the speaker as if she could even see him respond.

Arturia shot her a questioning look. No one said a word, albeit.

"I think she does." At the sound of his response, she began to search her mind for a reason to his words; something she could use to identify the tone of his voice and the meaning behind it.

A giggle filled the cafeteria through the speakers, soft yet menacing and laced in every inch and flow with venom. "It was cute how you played along with her. At first I thought it was adorable how she's so naïve and sweet but now I just think it's horrendous; truly _repulsive_."

The male remained silent, and so did everyone else; except for Arturia, who stood up from the cafeteria table at what the brunette had to say. Jeanne held her back.

"And of course!" Grainne spoke again, "Who would even like her? She's a poor _little_ street rat. I am certain that Cú is only dating her because he pities the ugly thing."

Arturia felt the anger bubble up as everyone in the cafeteria gasped but soon turned into hushed giggles.

"Jeanne, don't listen to them."

Jeanne wasn't listening to the laughs of her fellow students; _no_ , her mind was solely focused on what Gilgamesh had to say.

"Is there a concrete reason you called me here? Or are you simply hoping I talk about Jeanne the entire time? I thought you liked to speak of yourself nonstop..."

Grainne elicited an annoyed groan, "You want to know something, Gil," she breathed, "she'll never like you back. You are _nothing_. A meaningless scum who toyed with her feelings. In fact, everything you did for her was because I had to whisper it in your ear before you blew your cover. Do you think she will ever like you after you lied to her, manipulated her and most importantly after you used her? Here she thought you _actually_ cared for her but oh, will she be sad when she realizes that you are just a big fake. Nothing new for you, though."

Jeanne thought back to the cheesecake outing they had, and the time they went to the Christmas festival. Her heart stung at even the slightest remembrance that they had together whether in History class or elsewhere. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Don't you have anything to say?"

Gilgamesh cleared his throat, "Yes, of course I do; I _always_ do. So, what that I played her? You said so yourself; she would not like someone like me. Sure, it was fun while it lasted but do you really think I'm the one in the wrong here? Need I remind you why I pretended to be friends with her?"

"Enlighten me." She was amused, one could hear it evident in her voice.

Arturia had had enough of just standing doing nothing and thus, after shaking her friend's grip off her hand, she raced to the broadcast room while her best friend's eyes glossed over and soon turned red.

"Because I liked Arturia and if you don't recall I also did it for your unhealthy and, frankly, _disturbing_ fascination to completely destroy anyone standing in the path between you and him. You are sick, in more ways than one and this revolting obsession for—" The P.A system was shut down abruptly, drowning everyone in confusion and awe.

 _Pretend_ , the simply word caused Jeanne's world to fall upon her, crumbling at anything that related to the blond boy. She had trusted him, forgiven him; she had basically had this idea of one of the sweetest friendships she had ever had only for her dream to be ripped into shreds. Her heart ached once again and she stood from the table once she had seen everyone's eyes were on her.

Her nose stung and her vision hazed over; she ran out of the cafeteria only hearing Guinevere call out to her as all the other noises faded away. Jeanne needed to find a way out; out of the school, out of the betrayal she felt, out of everything that was drowning her. She did not even pick her jacket up from her locker; she just bolted outside.

Arturia had made it to the broadcast room in minutes but her panting had tired her out from all the flights of stairs she had to sprint up. Grainne burst through the door, anger written all over her features and soon enough Gilgamesh emerged.

"Oh, and just to let you know," he called after her, " _Grainne_ ; I do like Jeanne. And whatever you said about her is meaningless because it's coming from you. You aren't that great as you make yourself to be! In fact, I would say you're pathetic and manipulative; don't think for a second that no one notices!"

Grainne turned back to him; her face lit with rage and irritation, "How dare you?! You are the one that's a manipulative and lying snake! I hope you rot!"

"Thank you; but snakes shed their old skin and I think I'm a better person now!"

Arturia watched the ordeal a little stunned at how Gilgamesh defended Jeanne but she felt a little glad he did. She watched Grainne storm off and afterwards turned her attention to Gilgamesh, who so casually slipped into his blazer—almost as if he had not roasted the brunette in front of the entire school (teachers included).

"Gilgamesh?" She blinked, nearly afraid of his change in character.

He was startled, stiffening up, "Oh, Arturia." He calmed, "How long have you been standing there?"

Arturia blinked, "What you said… did you mean it?"

"Of Grainne? Every word… and yes, I do like Jeanne."

She smiled at him—uncharacteristic of the way she ever treated him. "Thank you."

Gilgamesh furrowed his brows, taking a step back. "Why?"

Her smile fell. "For defending Jeanne."

He sighed, "Yeah, well…"

They were silent for a while and then he opened his mouth to speak. "Arturia…" he mumbled, "I recommend you take your distance from the Chemistry teacher…"

Arturia's eyes grew, it was her turn to take a step back. She choked, "What?" Her voice was strained, almost as if she had been screaming the entire day.

"With Grainne's little stunt; I can assure you that she won't let you two off the hook." He spoke, looking down at her and crossing his arms over his chest.

It wasn't long before a teacher joined them, taking Gilgamesh with her and leaving Arturia afraid of what else he knew.

* * *

"Hey, you're probably cold, aren't you?" Jeanne heard a voice next to her.

She was seated at the bleachers, arms hugging her knees and head slumped forward. Her cheeks were tear stained and she had been mid-sob when she lifted her head and looked through the cracks in her hair. Before her, she saw a tall man standing.

He draped his spring jacket over her and let it cover her head in the process. "You should be more careful; you might get sick."

"I'm sorry, sir," she mumbled, wiping a tear from her eye.

"There's no need to apologize." He took a seat next to her. "I know," he breathed, "that you probably want time alone. I would think it best that you aren't alone."

Jeanne shook her head. "You don't understand, Diarmuid, it's just like Grainne said I'm sickly naïve. I'm just so stupid to have believed him… I—I—"

He shook his head, although she couldn't see him. Hesitantly landing a hand on her back, he patted it. "No. I think you're very strong to do that. It's hard to forgive people, Jeanne, but I can assure you that it's worth it. I know you're hurt but if Gilgamesh did truly start pretending to be friends with you… it's not like that anymore."

She peaked through the jacket. "And how would you know?" She sniffled.

Diarmuid reached back into his pocket and soon returned with a small box in his hands. "Seems a bit overdue, but I think it's the perfect timing."

Jeanne pulled the jacket off from her head and looked down at his hands. "What's that?" She asked.

"Gilgamesh left it behind when you went to the Christmas festival. I've been holding onto it since."

" _Gilgamesh_? He left it? For _me_?"

"Uhm…Yes…"

Her eyes slowly drifted up to Diarmuid's, they were filled with light and even a bit of hope. She slowly took the present from his hands and looked at the small tag.

_To Jeanne. You're welcome for the best date ever._

"You're not lying to me, right?" She furrowed her brows, quickly looking back at the Chemistry teacher.

He seemed scandalized, "What? Why would you say that? I would _never_ lie to you."

Jeanne cracked a tiny smile. "I don't know… that sounds like something someone who was lying would say." She teased.

"I suggest you open it," he insisted, nudging her to continue.

Her attention returned to that white box with the ribbon holding it together and then she pulled at it. The golden ribbon coming undone on her lap. She opened the box and within it saw a small wooden angel and a beaded bracelet. There was a little post-it note beneath the gifts.

_My little brother helped me make them; he said the girls in his class liked this sort of thing._

She brought a hand to her mouth and she teared up again.

"Oh, no. Please don't cry! I thought this would cheer you up." Diarmuid sounded worried and a little scared; he wasn't good at dealing with a crying teen girl.

She sniffled again, wiping her tears. "No, I—I'm happy. I'm _really_ happy."

"Oh…" he mumbled.

"It's just that… It's that…" she rubbed her nose, "He put his time—something he values the most—into this. It's the most thoughtful gift I've gotten so far. It's…"

Diarmuid rubbed circles on her back, staying silent and remaining a support for her if she needed one.

She slapped her cheeks lightly and then stood from the bleachers. The spring breeze was chilly and it stung her nose aside from the fact that she had been crying. "Alright, I think it's time I go back."

Diarmuid lifted a brow, "You aren't going home?" He asked.

She blinked down at him, as he remained seated on the bleachers, "Of course. There's no way I could ruin my perfect attendance streak."

He sat amazed looking at how quickly she could recover from the entire ordeal. Jeanne was something, and he was glad that Cú had chosen the right girl and not gone after someone like Grainne, as was custom of him. "You're right." He stood up as she passed him his jacket. "School matters. _But_ ," he breathed, "if you need time to yourself, I wouldn't mind covering for you."

Jeanne's lips stretched in a bright smile, her cheeks still tear-stained, "You know, sir, you're a wonderful guy. Arturia is lucky to have someone like you."

Diarmuid blushed, coughing slightly and rubbing his neck. "I'm not _that_ special."

"You're too modest."

"And you?"

"Ha, I'm just ordinary."

" _Hardly_ …" he shook his head. "I think we should head back, I'm getting a little cold out here."

Jeanne laughed, "Yes. It's a bit chilly." She agreed and they made their way back to the school where Jeanne prepared herself to face the judging eyes of the entire student population. She took a deep breath and walked in through the door that Diarmuid had opened for her.

She could face it. She was strong.

"I fear nothing for God is with me," she mumbled under her breath.


	43. Tied Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I'm going to do the little quotes in the beginning of the chapters again... if I remember)
> 
> "Love is a twisted game, and no one ever wins."

"Gilgamesh." The young man turned around at the sound of his name. Many people were murmuring about him but no one had yet to call out _to_ him. His eyes settled on a short girl—the one he precisely fell for.

"About time," he commented; pride still very much intact but he was a nervous wreck on the inside. "What do you need from me? You know I'm a busy man." He leaned on his locker in a suave manner, crossing his hands over his chest as if he had no interest.

Jeanne tried to supress her smile as she licked her lips. She slowly pushed a lock of hair behind her ear and momentarily looked away from him, breaking eye contact. "A busy man," she repeated under her breath.

Gilgamesh's heart skipped a beat— _maybe four_ —and he had to bite back a comment. Her eyelashes against her cheeks when she looked down, the way she licked her lips when she was nervous, just the fact that she was trying to hide her smile had his mind shutting down and his body in a trance; he swore she needed to be careful or else he would be drawn to her lips and God forbid what the trance could lead him to.

She reached into her pocket, ignoring the many stares and whispers around them. "I wanted to ask you if you could…" her voice trailed as she pulled out the bead bracelet. "If you could, possibly—you don't have to."

He blinked at her. "What?"

She blushed, her voice stuttering, "This…uhm, yeah. Could you… could you put it on for me?"

He looked down at her hands as she offered up the bracelet. His eyes widened in surprise. He questioned, "Where did you get that?"

Jeanne furrowed her brows, frowning, "You… gave it to _me_?" Her head slightly tilted.

"Yes, but… I uh, I thought you didn't _get_ it."

She sighed, "Long story but I got it today by someone who found it." She then looked up to him, smiling, "And I forgive you."

He chuckled, "As if I was in need of forgiveness. Look, sweetheart," it was hard to speak to her while trying to supress his blush and clear his mind before he did something he could later regret; like kiss her, "I did nothing wrong."

Jeanne frowned, "Will you put it on for me?" She asked again, ignoring his ego.

He opened his mouth but closed it again, reaching for the bracelet and momentarily—just for a split second—hesitating before taking her hand. A shock ran through him and his mind fell blank, his only thought was how warm and soft her hand was. He tied it carefully around her right wrist, making sure it was securely bound.

He noticed a stray lock of hair was out of place and he reached for it, patting it down and finally letting his blush surface.

The clearing of someone's throat caught their attention and they shot their head towards the noise. They both saw the short girl's boyfriend with his hands crossed over his chest, Gilgamesh saw jealousy in his eyes and it made him proud.

"Hey, Cú," she smiled. Her smile was bright and the look in her eyes was something that the blond man had never seen there before; it made his stomach churn, and obviously not in a good way.

"Hello." Cú sounded cold, almost menacing. "What are you two doing?" He nearly growled.

Gilgamesh chuckled, "Well, I'm trying to steal your girlfriend, if that's what you're asking."

Cú grit his teeth. "Is that so?" He barked.

Jeanne stood in between the two young men before any of them threw a punch and the unthinkable happened. "No one is stealing anybody from anyone. Gil was just helping me put on a bracelet; I asked him to so there's no need to be feisty."

Gilgamesh remained smiling, that smug smile he knew how to wear so well. He cleared his throat, "You heard the lady."

The Irishman glared—if looks could kill, Gilgamesh would have poofed out of existence. "Indeed."

Jeanne gave Gil a kiss on the cheek before turning to Cú who was very furious and ticked off. She looked at him again with that star-struck gaze and his anger briefly subsided as he returned the gesture. She then took a hold of his arm, sending one last smile to Gilgamesh before waving. "I'll see you later."

Gilgamesh smirked, "Of course."

After being out of sight from the blond, Cú growled, "Jeanne, for your safety and health," he breathed, "I recommend you stay away from Gil."

Jeanne blinked up at her boyfriend, her lips forming a frown. "Cú, Gil is my friend and as I had said; there's no reason to be hostile with him."

"Jeanne, he _used_ you." Cú looked confused, his eyes searching for concrete proof that she wasn't out of her mind.

She sighed, "It's called forgiveness, Cú. I'm very forgiving."

"He'll crush your hopes again, Jeanne. Are you really ready for that?"

Her shoulders lifted in an attempt of a shrug. "Turn the other cheek," she mumbled.

"Well, what if you've got no more cheeks to turn?" Cú sounded very serious but the look on her face changed from scolded little child to trying to supress her own childish laugh.

Her giggles slipped, filling the hallway with their smoothness and sweet cupcake sound, "No…more cheeks?" She had to bring a hand to her mouth to stop herself.

Cú smiled but dropped it as soon as he caught himself. "Jeanne," he chided, "this is serious. I'm not just going to sit back and watch you get hurt again."

"Cú," her giggles were dying down as he set both his hands on her shoulders, "with all due respect; I can take care of myself. Gil isn't going to hurt me a third time, and if he does," she shrugged again, "so be it. I forgive him again."

"You can't keep doing that to yourself."

"On who's terms?" She crossed her arms over her chest, frown replacing her light smile and lips cutting deep into her face.

Cú stood up straight, trying to seem as if he were in control of things—as if he knew what he was doing. "Me."

"That is _not_ going to stop me, Cú." Her tone became serious and now it was her turn to seem intimidating. "I have my beliefs, and I _stand_ by them. Just because you're my boyfriend doesn't mean I am just going to _give_ up my morality and ethics because you don't want it that way."

He rubbed the back of his neck.

"By the way," she pointed at the necklace he gave her, "even if I am who I am; I'm still yours. Don't think that, for even a second, I would ever leave you." She got on her tiptoes and pulled on his school uniform tie, bringing him down to her lips before giving him a soft kiss.

When she let him go, he stumbled back a little, licking his lips and tasting the strawberry Chapstick.

* * *

Arturia sat on the demonstration bench. Jeanne had already assured her that she was alright and she and Cú were going to be going out on a date after school, and so Arturia did the next best thing—after Guin ditched her too—she went to her boyfriend. She had yet to mention the little talk she had with Gil to absolutely anyone and it was eating her alive. Her legs swung in a rhythmic fashion and she leaned back on her hands.

"What's wrong?" The man didn't even have to look at her to know. "Have I done something wrong?"

"Eh?" She finally snapped back to reality, she shook her head, "Uh. No, no. There's nothing wrong."

He stopped looking through the microscope and took a step back, fixing the lab coat. "Why does it sound like you're lying?" He lifted an eyebrow and walked over to her, taking his gloves off.

Arturia fidgeted with a pen that was on the table while he came into view. His hands on either side of her as he leaned closer towards her. She put the pen down and sighed, "Just a little tired."

Diarmuid brushed her cheek with his hand and slowly placed it on her neck. He then pulled her closer to him, their faces inches apart.

"You look handsome in a lab coat," she hushed over, finally snaking her arms around his neck and pulling him into her lips.

Under her fingertips she could feel his neck burning—most likely he was blushing. He kissed her back hesitantly, one hand slowly creeping unto her hips while the other remained on her neck.

Arturia tangled her hands in his curly hair and pulled from the kiss slowly. She took a deep breath, her eyes still closed as they rested their foreheads on one another's. She took in his scent, along with the scent of the gas from the Bunsen burner he had turned off not long ago.

She felt calm, safe even. She set a kiss on the corner of his lips then led a trail to his jaw; they were soft, ghostly kisses. He made a faint sound of approval and so she brought him into a hug, snuggling her face in his neck.

Diarmuid laughed lightly, sweetly, "What's wrong, my queen?" He mumbled, barely above a whisper. His right hand fell to her hips and snaked around her waist to hold her in a proper embrace.

"King," she corrected.

He let a laugh slip his lips and he nodded, "My beautiful king."

She was silent for a while, and before she spoke, she held unto him a little tighter, planting a short kiss on his neck.

He shivered.

"Gil knows," she said. She was afraid he would pull away from her and say something ridiculous.

"Hn?" She noticed that he was preoccupied with nothing other than her.

"He knows about us, and he insinuated Grainne does too." She shut her eyes tight, ready for anything.

Diarmuid pulled away from her, taking her hands off from himself in a rushed and frantic manner. "What?" He gasped.

Arturia hated the feeling of him pulling away from her. She hated the coldness that came after and most importantly, she hated feeling him slip away.

"I—I thought we were being careful? I…" He ran a hand through his hair, messing it up a little more.

She sighed, crossing her legs and looking down.

"Since when did you know?"

"Found out today…"

"Oh, _god_ , what are we going to do?"

"Well," Arturia returned to fidgeting with the pen, "Gilgamesh isn't going to rat us out. He's worried about Jeanne now, but Grainne is the one we have to watch out for."

"And possibly everyone else in the school too." He was exasperated, walking in circles. "What if she told all her friends?"

"Would Grainne be willing to push you in jail?" She asked, looking at him and raising a brow. "Is she capable of that?"

"If she can't have me, no one else can; _that's_ her thinking."

Arturia huffed, rubbing her face and closing her eyes shut. "Great," she groaned, " _perfect_."

"We should stop this before we get found out."

"Haa, what?" She scoffed, "Are you _serious_?"

Diarmuid sighed, his hands balling into fists and knuckles going white, "What else would you suggest? Are we going to get found out and then I'll be locked up? I'm so stupid I should have thought of this more, I should have seen how this doesn't just affect my job but my life. I will, _no doubt_ , loose everything my father or I have ever worked for."

The blonde jumped off from the desk and walked towards him, landing a hand on his arm. "We are getting through it, _together_ ; the way it should be done not just chicken out and run away from each other."

He looked down at her, licking his lips and biting his cheek. He pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry," he sighed, "I'm just a little on edge."

She hugged him back, "It's alright. It's technically all my fault to begin with. I should have considered the consequences." Arturia pulled away and then pulled him down to her lips. She gave him a soft kiss, it was filled with melancholy and a hint of fear. "No more meeting at school. We should cool off, no eye contact, we should let things settle down. I'll ask Gwaine to help me out a little; that'll take attention off us. We're not breaking up; there will just be no affection during school hours or on school grounds. We can't go out for any dates."

He rubbed her cheek and kissed it, "Until we find a better solution."

"Or until school ends."


	44. Seven Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Only bad people live to see  
> Their likeness set in stone"

Cú had his arm wrapped around Jeanne securely, glare shooting at the young man before him as the other ate some fries. There was tension at the cafeteria table and everyone knew. Both males were tense as Jeanne continued to write down notes on her notebook focusing her attention on the textbook next to her and not on the two boys.

"Why, again, is he sitting with us?" Cú grit his teeth. It was one thing that Gilgamesh had threatened to take Jeanne away but it was another that he was starting to _sit_ with them at lunch.

"Because he's our friend." Jeanne looked over at her boyfriend, smile on her face before she returned her attention to the textbook, "and he's _your_ friend. So, as friends usually do, we all sit together."

It had been a week since the P.A incident and ever since then, Gilgamesh sat with them during lunch because 'no one else was worth his time'. Since Cú had been in detention for half of it, he was extremely irritated upon seeing Gil and Jeanne sitting next to each other, Gil too close for comfort.

"He's _not_ my friend. He's my rival." Cú pulled Jeanne a little closer while Gil scoffed.

Jeanne nearly rolled her eyes, trying to pry herself away because she wanted to finish her notes.

"And I'm going to win. Just because you're dating her doesn't mean you're end game." Gil shrugged, bringing a fry into his mouth and leaning his head on his hand.

Cú had to stop from calling out the blond's stupidity. "Dating usually means end game." He deadpanned.

The snobby rich kid shook his head, " _Marriage_ does."

"Okay!" Guinevere finally stepped in, "I think we ought to change the subject!"

Gil groaned, "Yeah, well I'm not the stupid one here." His wrinkled his nose and stuck out his tongue.

"Says the guy eating fries with a fork."

"Hey, I'm no mutt, I am civilized and cultured."

"Fries are a finger food!" Cú argued, "They're meant to eaten like that. Do you stab oysters with forks too?"

Gilgamesh frowned, he was _that_ close to stabbing the Irishman with his fork too but Guinevere spoke up.

"Well, if these two could just lower the sexual tension, I think I would be able to enjoy my food." She played with the salad before her, "I would _think_ we have more pressing matters to worry about, rather than meaningless displays of authority."

Laughing, Gwaine coughed, "Maybe we should chill. _All_ of us." He wiped an imaginary tear from his eye, "Although, I am really loving the rivalry, I suggest we do figure out what to do about the whole Artie deal. I mean, I can't let my cousin suffer."

"Thank you," Arturia acknowledged. "I, however, only need to mislead the entire school."

"Which, I'm guessing, means taking their attention somewhere else?" Guinevere lifted a brow, playing with one of her pig tails.

The Englishwoman nodded, green eyes looking around the cafeteria. "I think…" she mumbled, "It's best to talk somewhere else. I'll book a study room for after school. I'll send you all the room number later." She then stood from the cafeteria table.

"Even me?" Gilgamesh asked, almost as if testing the waters to check if he too was allowed to tag along.

Arturia raised a brow, "Aren't you on our side now?"

"Where are you going?" Jeanne had finally lifted her head from her book upon her best friend swinging her bag over her shoulder.

"I have to go to the library to book the room." She said and immediately Jeanne and Guin stood too.

"We'll join you," Guin smiled, "let the boys mingle. I'm sure they're dying to get time without us girls."

"Yes!" Jeanne shut her book close, a smile brightly lighting her face, "I also need to spend some time with you two."

Cú held her hand and gently landed a kiss on it. "See you after school, princess," he winked.

Guin whistled and Jeanne immediately hid her face behind the textbook, rushing over to Arturia. They bid a farewell to the boys before leaving towards the library. Not long before they turned their back on the four boys, the bickering between the two red-eyed males began.

"They have a lot more in common than they think, don't they?" Guinevere giggled, "Oh Jeanne, I feel sorry for you. I would rather die than be in between those two. They seem like dogs fighting over a piece of meat. And you are much more than that."

"You're making me feel like I should regret my decision to date Cú…" Jeanne frowned, "But I don't."

"Oh," Guinevere shook her head, "No, I didn't mean that at _all_. In fact, you two are my o.t.p, but I'm just saying that Cú shouldn't act all defensive. I mean, we all know that you don't like Gil _that_ way."

"Yeah, but it's understandable. Cú sees a threat to the relationship and, even if isn't like that, he's scared to lose you." Arturia deadpanned, blinking once to emphasize how visible this was.

* * *

"Can I walk you home today?" Cú sat down next to Jeanne in the study room. The end of the day had come and as they had promised to Arturia, they started to trickle into the room she booked.

Jeanne stopped organizing the white board markers and looked at her boyfriend. She glanced back at the markers, eyes trying to find another place to focus on. She could smell the cigarette smoke lingering off his uniform. No matter how much he chewed mint gum, the smell was not going to go away. "I…" she began.

"It's Friday…" He mumbled, hoping that could convince her.

She shook her head slowly, "I have to go to work today. The other kid quit and now I have to do weekend shifts."

His hand reached out for her face but she inched away. He tried not to let his frown show and neither his hurt at her action. He cleared his throat as he heard Gwaine loudly flirting with two girls outside the study room; soon entering with Lancelot.

"Hey, lovebirds. Where's the rest of the gang?" Gwaine asked after noting that the couple were the only people in the room.

Cú shrugged, "Beats me."

"Artie said she was just finishing up some papers, but she'll be here soon." Jeanne huffed, "Guin and Gil are still off the radar."

The door burst open just as the males were taking their seats. "Back on the radar!" Guinevere grinned, pulling the blond in along with her. "Found Gil trying to escape; had no luck, as you can see."

It wasn't long before Arturia made it to the study room, closing the door behind herself.

"So," she started, "If you still don't know why you're all here… It's to decide what we can do so that eyes and ears are taken off Dia and I and put on something else. The whole Gil thing did its job but it can only last for so long. So, any ideas?"

Arturia took her place in front of the white board as Jeanne passed her a dry erase marker. All the other teens were seated in front of the group table, eyes cast upon her.

"Don't do anything stupid till school's over?" Gwaine lifted his feet up to the table, crossing his arms over his chest.

Lancelot shook his head, "How about making Diarmuid change schools?"

" _No_!" Everyone, except Gilgamesh, scolded.

Guinevere shot her hand up. "I have the perfect idea," She giggled. A mischievous smile grew on her lips.

"What might that be?" Arturia questioned, cautious. Guinevere never had the best ides, she always made up something crazy.

"It's simple," the brunette shrugged, "you fake a boyfriend."

There was utter silence that bubbled up in the room. Arturia was, undoubtedly, shocked; as was everyone else. What she said took a while for it to sink in to everyone but then the joint response of half the group came.

"What?!" Arturia, Jeanne, Lancelot and Cú gasped in unison.

"I second that!" Gwaine exclaimed, "I already have the perfect kiddo!"

"Are you insane?" Arturia coughed, the shock had been too great, she could barely breathe right.

" _Actually_ ," Gilgamesh reasoned, "That doesn't sound so bad. But, it would have to be believable; Grainne is a hard one to fool."

Guinevere nodded as she stood up from the table, "True that." She took a dry erase marker from Jeanne and popped it open. "You see," she began, "It will take all the attention off the Chem teacher," she drew a male stick figure, marker squeaking with every stroke, "and then it will be directed to you and the mystery man."

"And who would that be?" Arturia crossed her arms over her chest, sitting down on the edge of the table.

"I vote Gilgamesh!" Cú raised his hand.

Guinevere gave him a sideways glance, she groaned, "Not believable the slightest. Everyone knows that Gilgamesh likes Jeanne and Arturia hates Gil. We need someone who can _really_ fit the role."

"What about Bedi? He likes Artie," Jeanne suggested, leaning unto the table.

"No!" Arturia shook her head, "I am _not_ going to play with his feelings!"

"Gwaine, darling, you said you had the right man before." Guin pointed at the blond heir with her pink marker, "Mind telling us his name?"

Gwaine stood from his seat, smug smile on his lips, "Oh, I have the perfect guy; Dany."

Arturia smacked her forehead, she sighed, "Oh _gosh_ , not him, _please_."

"Or do you prefer Lionel?" Gwaine chirped.

" _Dany it is_ , then."

"Who is Dany?" Jeanne pipped, blinking at the blonde young man.

" _Dinadan Brunor_ ; he's two years older than us and a former member of the fencing school we all used to attend. This guy is all jokes and fun and really couldn't care less about dating." The playboy explained as he took another dry erase marker and wrote the boy's name on the board.

"And what makes you think he'll get in on it? You did just say he likes nothing romance." Guinevere questioned, brow raising.

"I agree with the idiot for once," Lancelot spoke up, "Dinadan seems like a perfect candidate. Since he dislikes dating and romance; he won't go around growing feelings for Arturia. Plus, he likes to joke around so, why not?"

"Okay… what do you think, Artie?"

Arturia lifted a brow and turned to Lancelot, "What about Tristan? I'm closer with him."

Lancelot shook his head, "No can do, sweetheart. He has a girlfriend."

" **Oh**! Almost forgot; Iseult, right?"

" _Mhm_."

"Darn, Tristan would have been _perfect_." She mumbled, "Alright, I guess Dany is the next best thing."

Guinevere's face lit up and she squealed, "So, you're in?"

Arturia sighed, shoulders dropping in defeat, "I don't have much of a choice. It's either that or Dia has to leave, and we can't have that, can we?"

"Arturia, if there's anything I learned about Grainne," Gilgamesh stood from his seat, "it's that she's a hard fish to catch. You need sharks on your side and if you play the right cards; I promise you everything will go smoothly."

"So, what would his majesty suggest?" The Englishwoman turned towards him, frowning, crossing her legs on the table and twirling a marker between her fingers.

The blond shrugged, "The only way to make her believe it, is if you are also questioning yourself."

"Operation Distract Grainne is now in action!" Guinevere clapped her hands.

Gwaine rolled his eyes, "You couldn't think of a better name?"

" _What_?" The brunette whined, "I didn't have much time."

"Okay, but are you sure Dany is going to agree?" Jeanne asked.

"I'll be cashing in the favours he owes me." Gwaine grinned, winking.

Guinevere frowned, "I don't even want to know."

"Oh!" Cú stood from his seat, "Just wanted to tell you guys, before you leave," he watched as everyone stopped packing their things, "I'm not going to be here for the next week and a half, 'kay?"

"Why?" Jeanne immediately questioned.

The blue-haired boy wiggled his eyebrows, "You don't want me to leave?"

"You can go wherever you want." She deadpanned, shocking the rest of the teens; they had never seen this side of her before—not in public at least, in front of everyone.

Cú stopped the frown that he felt was threatening to slip and gave his charming frivolous smile, "Dad's gonna visit and my sister wants to make sure I don't disappoint him so… _intensive manners training_." He cringed, "Hope you guys don't miss me _too_ much."

"Oh, don't worry about that." Jeanne shut her book, loudly, causing everyone to jump and then she slung her bag over her shoulder and stormed out the room, not even bidding her farewells.


	45. Dinadan

* * *

_"Love until we bleed..." -Lykke Li_

* * *

Gilgamesh pushed Cú towards the door, "Aren't you going to go after her?"

Cú looked back at the blond young man as everyone looked at him with expectance. He sighed, "I'm sure she doesn't want to talk to me."

" _Mongrel_. If there is anything you take my advice on, it should be this; girls want to feel that someone out there cares about their feelings so what are you still doing here?"

Cú frowned, glancing towards the door. He went after her.

"Hey," Jeanne stopped in her tracks when she heard the deep voice. She rubbed her face and felt her heart beat wildly in her chest as the footsteps of the man got closer. She wrinkled her nose and blinked away the blurriness in her eyes.

"Jeanne." He spoke, "What's wrong?"

She turned to him as he had made it to her already, she shook her head, "Nothing."

Cú frowned, "Are you sure?"

"Look, I'm sorry." She sighed, "It was rude of me to act the way I did… and I hope this doesn't hurt what we have."

Tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear, he brought her face up to him, "Never," he mumbled, "I just want to know if you're alright."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I wanted to tell you today but you didn't have time for it…" His eyes fell to the floor.

She did not reply, instead, she took a deep breath and pulled out her phone. "I…" She began, "I ought to get going. Work calls." She shook her phone.

Cú nodded.

"I'll miss you." She got on her tip-toes to kiss his cheek tenderly. "Make sure to behave yourself, _and_ don't go running to other girls now," she teased.

A smile spread across his face, light glinting in his eyes. "You know I only have eyes for you."

She groaned, as if in physical pain. "You are so cheesy; it's disgusting," she laughed.

He laughed along and kissed her forehead, knowing very well she didn't like the taste of cigarettes. "I promise to behave. And who knows, maybe I'll come back a changed man." He winked.

Jeanne eyed him, "I sure hope."

* * *

" _What_?" Diarmuid looked furious and rather upset. His brows were furrowed, he leaned on the kitchen counter.

Arturia sighed, "Guinevere said it was the best way to get Grainne's eyes off us."

Diarmuid pushed off the counter top and shook his head. " _No_. There has to be something else we can do."

"Unless you want to leave the school…"

He sighed, "Maybe that would be for the best…"

She grunted, "I have been thinking about it and I can assure you that this will not get in between us."

"I…" Diarmuid mumbled as he gathered his thoughts.

Arturia stood from the kitchen seat and walked towards him.

"I don't want to share you. I really don't." He looked away, embarrassed to admit it.

She giggled (he did not think this appropriate) and ran her hands over his shoulders to his neck, "Are you being _possessive_?" She teased.

His cheeks turned red and he coughed, "No."

Pulling him down towards her, she kissed him. He did not even think of protesting, immediately snaking his hands around her hips and helping her up a bit. He pulled her onto the countertop as he had done before. He pulled away from the kiss after she smiled against his lips.

"You don't trust me?" She asked, playing with the collar of his button up shirt.

Diarmuid rolled his eyes, "That's not it."

" _Then_?"

A sigh, "I just…" he ran a hand against her cheek, "I don't want to lose you."

She pulled him in for another kiss. "I won't stop kissing you until you agree with me."

His eyes filled with mirth and he held her hands. "I think that's a great deal," he laughed, "I get you to myself and a billion kisses."

She grunted and punched him playfully, "Then no more kisses until you agree."

"Nu-uh! You can't take back your previous deal!" He chided. "You made a promise."

" _Ha_! I never promised!"

Pushing her hair behind her ear, he kissed her cheek. "My answer remains a ' _no_ '."

"Dia!" She whined. _Never_ , ever had he seen her whine.

He smiled. "Nope."

* * *

Monday came sooner than expected, the teens had no time on the weekend to meet and discuss the plan any further, but Gwaine assured the bunch that Danny was in on it and the show would start Monday after school.

After much persuasion, Diarmuid gave in. Obviously, he set a bunch of ground rules, and thus he settled there should be no kissing and virtually no PDA between her and the fake boyfriend. There were plenty concerns he had but Arturia assured him that there was nothing to worry about.

A crowd of girls blocked the entrance of the school, so much so that Jeanne, Guinevere, and Arturia could not even get past them.

"I'm so hungry, why can't they just move?" Guinevere groaned.

Jeanne shrugged, "Is there something happening today?"

The brunette shook her head, "I don't think so…"

Arturia, knowing Jeanne was too kind and Guinevere not strong enough, pushed through the crowd, creating a passage for the other two ladies. They stumbled out of the crowd, coming face to face with what the yapping was all about.

A young man sat on the hood of a red sportscar, bouquet of flowers in his hands. His shoulder length dark brown hair fell in soft waves, while his brown eyes were fixed on the crowd of girls. Her wore a white t-shirt (not failing to show off his muscles) and a pair of expensive sweatpants.

He smiled and Arturia could hear the crowd of girls behind her swoon.

The man pushed off from his car, taking a step onto the sidewalk.

"Arturia!" He called and Arturia closed her eyes in aggravation.

The crowd became silent almost immediately. The wandering eyes fell on the blond.

Guinevere whistled, whispering over to Jeanne, "Woah, if I knew Dinadan was this hot before—"

"Guin, _please_ ," Jeanne groaned.

" _What_? Can't a girl admire the beauty of a man?"

Jeanne shook her head slowly.

"What are you doing here, Dinadan?" Arturia crossed her arms over her chest.

The young man frowned. "Look, sweetheart." He stepped towards her again.

She looked away.

"I know, I know. I messed up _. Big time_. And… I really am sorry," he began, "but I'm back."

She rose an eyebrow. " _No_ ," she shook her head, "Not this B.S. again."

"Give me a week. I promise I'll make it all up to you. Starting with these!" He lifted the bouquet of roses, "I know roses aren't your thing…but, I still like you."

Arturia sighed, "I don't know…"

Bringing her to face him, he ran his thumb through her cheek. "Please?" He gave her a look, one to persuade her.

Arturia was silent for a bit, staring at him and weighing her options. " _Fine_." She rolled her eyes. "One week."

A smile exploded on Dany's lips and he kissed her cheek. "Thank you! I promise you won't regret it."

Arturia took the flowers from him and he did not fail to greet Guin and Jeanne before he opened the passenger's door for Arturia and rounded the car for the driver's seat. He settled in and the engine roared to life once they buckled their seatbelts.

"So where to?" Arturia asked.

He shrugged, "I'm hungry, what about you?"

"Same."

* * *

They sat in a booth at a fast food restaurant. Arturia burst into light laughter, "A sportscar parked in front of a low-chain burger place?"

Dany frowned, "What's so bad about that?"

She shook her head. "Nothing, _nothing_."

"Good."

She sat back as Dinadan began to devour the food before him. She mumbled, "So, what's the plan, Danny? Got any tricks up your sleeve? I'm really in need of an Ace of Hearts here."

"Mm?" He mumbled through a full mouth, cheeks puffy as if he were a chipmunk that recently stuffed itself with acorns.

"The story that we're going to have to tell everyone? Our fake relationship's beginning?" Arturia raised an eyebrow.

He swallowed before speaking, "We have known each other for five years. I was there for you when you lost your mother and we grew closer togeth—"

"No." Her eyes widened, "We are not going to put my mother into this!"

"Sorry." He blinked, "I was there for you when you quit _fencing_. We grew closer together and we genuinely liked each other. We were about to go on our first date but I had to go to university and here I am after finals, ready to start where we left off. You are upset at first," he smiled, "which you nailed today. Ultimately, we grow together and boom, we're dating. Got it?"

"Did Gwaine suggest this?" She asked.

"Mhm." He popped a fry into his mouth, "So who's the mystery man?"

"Pardon?"

"The one we gotta make sure isn't found out?"

Arturia blinked, crossing her arms over her chest. "None of your business."

Dany grinned, "Diarmuid Ua Duibhne."

She gasped, "H-how—?"

Dany winked, "Trick of the trade." He finished up his burger before he began sipping at the iced tea. "Isn't he a little too old for you?"

"Isn't that none of your business?" Her eyes narrowed.

Dany leaned forward, "Since when did you become so ballsy?"

"I was _always_ like this."

He rolled his eyes, "Not the way I remember it."

"You're just jealous because I always beat you at fencing."

"Ha! Hardly!"

"Remember that time I beat you by triple the points."

"Do you want my help or not?" Dany questioned, one of his dark eyebrows raising as he played with the straw of his soft drink.

She remained silent.

"Thought so." He leaned back into the booth's couch. Blinking, he spoke, "Isn't he like a teacher or something. That's completely messed up."

Arturia crossed her arms over her chest, frown cutting deep into her cheeks, she growled, "Are you here to judge me or help me out?"

"Not judging you, I'm judging _him_."

"Well," she glared, "I was the one to get him in this mess."

"And he listens to a teen girl? Sounds rather questionable and pathetic."

Taking a deep breath, she unscrewed her water bottle and calmly, collectively, took a sip.

"As a man he—"

_Splash!_

"What the fuck?" He rubbed his eyes as the water dripped from his face.

She did not seem mad or even the slightest bit upset; she was calm. "You're lucky that it wasn't soda," she smiled as she stood from the booth.

He stormed after her, leaving his drenched food behind and rather composed, left soaking wet.

"Arturia! What the fuck? Are you bloody insane?" He called after her.

Arturia was patiently waiting by the car, blinking at him as he came into view. "I need my bag."

"I'm doing you a favour and yet—"

"I don't think you remember how straightforward I could be. You know, I fight for what I want and for once this is what I have wanted instead of being forced to marry some idiot. Diarmuid is older, yes, but he's a good and respectful man so you have absolutely no right to talk about him like that."

Dany wiped his face and closed his eyes. "I… I'm sorry. I stepped out of line."

"And I'm sorry for drenching you." She tried to hide her smile.

"Friends?" He extended a hand a genuine and expecting smile on his lips.

She took his hand. "Friends."

Pulling out his phone and keys, he passed her the smartphone. "Put in your number and we'll keep in touch. We can discuss plans too." He opened the car doors and Arturia climbed in, followed by Dinadan.

"Look," he spoke, "I really am sorry. It's just that men are men and you've been through a lot so I don't want you getting screwed over."

She smiled, "Thank you for your concern but Diarmuid is really not the type to use people. This is a serious relationship not a lust driven one."

"I sure hope so."


	46. Prom?

_"But everybody's changing and I don't feel the same." ~Keane  
_

* * *

The two men sat in front of each other, Arturia sitting promptly next to her boyfriend. It felt more like she was introducing her boyfriend to her father rather than her boyfriend to her fake boyfriend. The whole ordeal felt awkward and intimidating.

It had been a week since Dinadan showed up and nothing much had happened, except for the fact that he would always show up in his fashionable sportscar and wait for her right in front of the school entrance and show his over zealous display of 'love' with a new bouquet of flowers every single day.

The school was buzzing with the news, girls complimented Arturia on finding herself such a romantic man and the boys taking notes of what worked and what didn't…of course Arturia was never fazed by the rumours.

Grainne seemed fishy, very strange. For some reason she was laying off the case; probably the fight she had with Gilgamesh had cooled her off for a bit.

"Soo…" Dany began, his voice almost turning into a whistle, "Nice to finally meet you."

Diarmuid gave a curt nod, "A pleasure."

The conversation died again and Arturia was beginning to feel that this was a horrible idea. They seemed like they would get along but Diarmuid was acting like a dog whose toy got taken away.

Dany shuffled in his seat, chair groaning to every movement. His fingers tapped on the table as he waited for his drink, "So, uhm, how long have you two been together?" He thought to ask.

"It's complicated. We've been on and off but you could say we've been dating for about a year," Arturia replied.

"Nice," the young man nodded slowly, "cool."

"What do you study?" Diarmuid finally made an effort to speak.

Dany smiled, "Commerce, I know it's boring but… parents call. I've also been taking a minor in Art History since it is my passion."

And suddenly the mood brightened, "Art History?" Diarmuid smiled, "That sounds like a lot of fun."

"Yes, it is," he chuckled, pulling back his brown hair into a low pony tail. "Is science your passion?"

The teacher nodded, "I loved Chemistry when I was growing up and since I still don't have to take over the business, I decided it would be nice to teach it."

"So, are you like those teachers that are so excited about the subject and want everyone to pursue it?"

"Well," Diarmuid blushed, "you could say that. Though, I mostly want my students to succeed."

Dany's smile widened, "That's good to hear."

"Thanks?"

It went silent again, but it was a much better type of silence, it wasn't awkward at all.

"So, have you guys thought about prom?"

"Prom?" Diarmuid looked bewildered, his brows were furrowed and raised and he had an evident frown on his lips, "What about prom?"

"Well," Dany took a deep breath, "have you thought about who's going? Who's going to ask Arturia? That sort of thing?"

"We…we haven't thought about it," Arturia admitted.

Diarmuid added, "It never really crossed my mind."

"That's okay. So, are you attending?"

"Yeah," Arturia nodded, "we had to buy the tickets back in February; so, we all got one."

"You obviously can't go with Diarmuid, so did anyone ask you yet?" He questioned, leaning onto the table just as their drinks were placed before them and the waiter hurried off to his next order.

Arturia shook her head in response.

Dinadan glanced at Diarmuid, eyes settling, "Should I take her?"

"Well," Diarmuid began, "I…"

"You see, I would think it would make it easier for the two of you to interact if I were to tag along, plus, I like dances." He smiled. "Though, if you wouldn't want me going, I completely understand."

Diarmuid frowned, he bit the inside of his cheek and let his gaze wander before he looked back at Dany. "I think it would be a good idea. It would help relieve Arturia of any stress too."

" _Stress_?" Arturia questioned, "What stress?"

"Stress…of school?"

She frowned and crossed her arms over her chest, "I am _not_ stressed. And don't I get a say in this?"

Diarmuid leaned towards her, pushing a lock of her hair behind her ear, somewhat showing Dinadan that Arturia was his and his alone. "I am never going to force you into anything, you know that."

She blushed, even her ears were red. Never had he been so forward in front of other people. This was either dangerous or a huge improvement; she couldn't decide.

"I…Yes, I know. I just…I'm…"

Dinadan frowned, "Well, I hope you guys haven't forgotten about me." He sighed, "I just mean to say that it's very important that you go to the prom with someone. It makes sense that you would go with your boyfriend and, well, to everyone I am your boyfriend." He finally glanced over at Diarmuid, "I am in no way meaning to take your position, Diarmuid."

Diarmuid nodded, "I know." He smiled.

Arturia sighed, "I don't know," she rubbed her arm, "what if something goes wrong?"

"You just have to make it seem real, we won't get found out—none of us," Dany assured, giving them both a nod, "Trust me."

"Yeah." She nodded. "Okay."

"Really?" He placed a hand over his chest remembering how she used to be so stubborn in giving into anything.

Arturia crossed her arms over her chest. "Unless you would prefer for me to not agree."

Dany shook his head, "No, it's great! I'm glad, really." He took his coffee cup and brought it to his lips and took a sip. "I know we can fool them!"

* * *

"Je-hanne!" A voice sung before hands landed on her shoulders and she nearly jumped.

"Oh, my goodness! You scared the soul out of me, Gawain!" She shivered, after he had revealed himself.

Gawain winked, "As far as I know, you skipped heaven's curfew, what are you doing at this time walking around in the middle of the city?"

Jeanne had just come out of her part-time job and thus was dressed in a track suit and had her backpack hanging off one of her shoulders. "What are you doing here?" She asked, furrowing her brows and her lips in a straight line.

"I was entrusted to keep you safe." He haughtily puffed his chest.

She blinked up at him, fixing her bag and slipping into the other bag strap. "By who?"

Gawain laughed, "Your boyfriend, you _know_ that."

Jeanne blushed, looking away.

Gawain wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her along. "So, why are you walking home?"

Jeanne sighed, "My brother took the car."

"Bro," Gawain groaned, "why? He should at least pick you up."

"Nah," she shook her head, "I lost the bet."

The young man laughed, ruffling her hair, "I didn't know you gambled."

She gave him an even look before staring straight ahead. "I think…" she breathed, "I think I'm going to France."

Gawain's arm slipped away from her shoulders and he stopped in his tracks. He watched carefully as she stopped a few feet away from him and turned. The street lamp lighting her face, but the otherwise lonely street shrouded her in mystery. "What?"

Her eyes fell to the floor. "Aren't we all moving away? Highschool is almost over," she looked up at the sky, "it's time we all move on, non?"

"But," Gawain ran his eyes over her, searching for something, not exactly sure what, "but I thought you were accepted at Oxford, I thought…I thought we would all go… we, haven't we all been friends since we were kids?"

"We're still kids Gawain. Crazy, _stupid_ kids. We," she bit her lip, "we all need to grow up. We're all called to do something and for me…"

She finally looked back down at him, then closed her eyes.

"For you?"

She looked down again, "For me it's the Army. I was accepted into the Military Academy in France."

Gawain hesitated, analyzing his choice of words. "Does Cú know?" He asked, stepping towards her.

She stretched her lips, shaking her head, "I haven't told him yet."

"When are you leaving us?"

"Training starts a week after school ends."

"Were you…were you ever thinking of telling us?"

She looked away, turning around and starting back towards her house.

He ran after her, stopping her just upon catching up. "Jeanne," he chided, "after all we have gone through as friends— _as family_ —you just wanted to up and leave without a word?"

Her violet eyes bore into him and her lips were placed in a frown. "I don't want to be held back."

" _Held back_?" He scoffed, "Do you even hear yourself? Jeanne we're your friends, we'll support you, no matter what. That's what it _means_ to be friends. Why do you always think that we're out to get you or something? You constantly run away from your obligations, Jeanne, and I get it. Yes, you have a tough life and you don't want to deal with toxic bullshit you don't need but…but for once, Jeanne, you have to tell us the truth. Tell us what you want from your life, what you want from _us_. You…you," he breathed, "you have all this going for yourself and you're so smart and kind and pretty…" he quickly became breathless, "and, and you're our friend. _My_ friend. So, so, why? I just…"

She rubbed her face in exasperation. "You just don't get it."

" _I_ don't get it? _Fine_! But if you aren't planning to tell the others, at least tell Arturia and Cú, you owe them that." Frustrated, Gawain walked past her. "I know this is what you've always wanted…and we—I want you to be selfish and go for it because you've always done everything for others but…but leaving us in the dark isn't the way to do it."

Silence filled the air and only the buzzing on the lamp post filled the space between them.

"Let's get you home. I promised him I would walk you all the way there."

Jeanne began to follow him, a few steps back so as to avoid his gaze.

"Jeanne," he spoke again, "you're one of my best friends, and I'll always be there for you. Just like Arturia, Lance and Guin. We'll never abandon you."

Jeanne's violet eyes blurred, and she felt a warm tear slip down her cheek. "I… I'm sorry." She hiccupped.

He wrapped an arm around her again and pulled her along. "Come on, snake, let's get going."

She laughed at the teasing nickname, he would always call her that to cheer her or any of the others up. "Okay," she mumbled.

The night grew older, stars in the sky, clouds travelling miles above them and the distinct smell of drying rain in the air. The warm late spring night was nothing out of the ordinary and the two friends made their way back home through the silent streets of the small city.

* * *

The next day Dinadan was sitting on the hood of the red car that was decorated with sashes of wild flowers, a bouquet of roses in his hand and a few golden balloons reading the word PROM?

He had a smile on his lips as students crowded around him. From the crowd emerged Arturia, hair down and collar buttoned all the way to the top, and her cheeks set ablaze. He was slightly proud of eliciting such a reaction, but he had to give credit to Diarmuid who had given him the plan.

"This is…" Arturia bit her bottom lip, "a little too much…"

"Is that a yes?"

She rolled her eyes playfully, he would give her credit she was a great actress. "What else would it be?" A smile crept unto her lips and she covered her mouth.

He took her into his arms, hugging her tightly and the crowd fawned over them.

Upon pulling away, they heard a voice.

"Aren't you going to kiss him, Artie?" Grainne stood next to the car, smirk on her lips and devious glimmer in her chocolate eyes.

Arturia glared at her, "Is that any of your business?"

"Come to think of it," Grainne frowned, "I don't think we've ever seen you two kiss."

Dinadan set a kiss on Arturia's cheek, setting her face back into a pink mess. "I think this should be enough, my girlfriend gets flustered easily."

Grainne crossed her arms over her chest in disappointment, "One might even think that you two aren't actually dating."

"Cynical," he nearly hissed, "what can I do to prove she's my girlfriend?"

Grainne shrugged, "Kiss."

Arturia's face twisted into a frown and she opened her mouth to speak as Dany looked at her. Afraid she would blow their cover, he took advantage of something he had seen on her when they pulled from their hug.

Wrapping an arm around her, he pulled her close, balloons slipping from his hands and floating up into the air.

"W-what are you doing?" Arturia squeaked upon feeling his breath under her ear and her breath hitched. She yelped.

The entire crowd fell silent.

Pulling away, Dinadan smirked triumphantly. _Got ya!_ He pulled Arturia's hair aside, revealing a red mark that nearly bordered purple on her neck. "Happy?"

Arturia smacked his hand away and her face turned a shade darker than his sportscar. She covered her face and immediately got into the car, not without calling him an idiot.

Dinadan gave a helpless smile at Grainne, "I told you she easily gets flustered…but I had to prove our love."

Grainne stood shocked, as did the rest of the school as the couple drove off with Arturia hiding her face behind her hands.

"Nice hickey," Dinadan whistled.

She growled, "Shut up."

"I think I was rather clever, don't you think so? Now you don't have to hide it."

Arturia glared at him. "That was the most embarrassing thing I have ever endured."

"Sorry about the kiss on the cheek and getting too close to you."

She sighed, "I guess you had no choice."

"You think she bought it?"

"I would have bought it."


	47. A Wish, a Mistake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gilgamesh acts on his feelings, something he might regret...or maybe not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note
> 
> As a disclaimer: I will be going back to my home country from the 14th of May to the 8th of July so I will not be on much but I will be able to work on my fics while there. Hopefully I'll have a few updates during the time.
> 
> Wow guys, I can't believe I'm nearing the end of this story, I really can't. I want you all to prepare for max another 4/5 chapters. Most likely I will have 4 real chapters and possibly an epilogue. To be honest, I will make this ending more realistic as per experience of mine and my friends. I hope that it will turn out well and I also hope you all enjoy this chapter. For all my GilJean shippers, I bring you this...
> 
> Sincerely,
> 
> Ms. AtomicBomb

_"Lonely lonely so lonely_

_Are things always this hard?"_

_~DEAN, Instagram_

Arturia had left for home already, since Jeanne had been held back for a student council meeting and the school was empty. Its hollow shell surrounded the girl as she stepped lightly towards her locker. It was never this silent in the school, but the silence was welcomed for her; she preferred it like such. So, when she heard a voice, she was frightened.

"Jeanne." She nearly jumped at the sound of her name. The young woman turned her head, looking over her shoulder to the one calling to her.

"Oh, hi," she greeted, a smile on her lips, "what's up?"

"I see your still wearing it..." Gilgamesh looked down at her as he had finally caught up to her.

She looked at the bracelet around her wrist. "Of course," she said as she looked back up at him.

"I was...wondering if I could walk you home?" He looked away, afraid to meet her gaze. She could swear she saw a blush on his cheeks, but she opted not to point it out.

"Sure, if you'd like." She fixed her backpack. "I would just have to stop by my locker."

"That shouldn't be a problem." If you hadn't known Gilgamesh before the entire ordeal, you would think him courteous and kind. What Jeanne had yet to notice was his drastic change. Less than six months ago he had nearly slapped her in front of everyone in the cafeteria and now he had made her a bracelet and acted so kind.

She removed some books from her bag, leaving her jacket behind before closing the locker door. She faced Gilgamesh, who was leaning against the wall with his phone in his hand. "Ready?" She asked.

He pushed himself off the wall and nodded, shoving his phone back into his pocket. He gave her a smile and they began their way towards her house.

May was as beautiful as ever. The spring flowers were blooming, and the weather was heating up rapidly. The cherry blossoms sprung, and pink petals flew in the wind, beautiful and serene. They walked amidst the busy streets. The budding trees adding a tint of sweetness to the air.

"Have you gotten accepted into any Universities?" Gilgamesh asked, seeing as they had been silent most of the time, admiring nature.

Jeanne looked up at him, skirt blowing in the breeze. "Yes, a few now."

"Have you decided where you want to go?"

Her breathing stopped and so did her steps.

"What's wrong?" Gilgamesh stopped as well, standing in front of her.

She faked a smile. "I haven't decided yet. There's so much I'm being offered."

They began walking again. "I can imagine. Won't you be Valedictorian or something?"

She laughed, "I'm a candidate. Don't think I'll win though."

Gilgamesh sighed, "If anyone deserves it, it's you."

"Thank you."

They stopped by a convenience store, picking up popsicles for the walk since the sun had been strong and they were hot. Now that it was setting, the cool breeze cooled them down a bit, letting them enjoy the walk.

The sky was coloured pastel blue and pink as the sun dipped lower behind the houses.

"Could we stop for a second?" Gilgamesh asked, looking at her past his bangs.

She nodded, "Of course."

They stepped aside and leaned against the brick wall of a store, staring at the sunset and letting the breeze hit their faces. Their silence wasn't awkward, it was nice.

"Jeanne," he whispered.

Jeanne looked over at him, not exactly sure why she whispered back, "Yes?"

His face slowly turned to meet hers and they were much closer than they had noticed before. Neither moved, though, Jeanne did not see it as a threat and Gil liked having her near him.

He could see the sun on her face, shining off her hair as if it were strands of long malleable gold he could hold in his hands. She looked divine, heavenly even. The soft pink tint on her cheeks because of the weather, the halo that the sun cast upon her head, her lips red because of the popsicle she had had.

Gilgamesh could not help but think she was always so mesmerizing but also how stupid he had been not to notice it earlier.

"What is it?" She asked, voice still a whisper.

He could see people walk past them out of the corner of his eyes, he could see how busy the streets were and how loud everything should have been, but her voice was deafening. It was the only thing he could even begin to hear, but it felt as if he were under water and her voice too was muffled. He could just see the friendly look in her eyes and her mouth moving. Her lips, _precisely_ , glinting red in the sunlight.

Whatever monster had lulled him towards her must have been wicked and awfully persuasive for he leaned in. The last thing he saw before he fluttered his eyes closed was the pale orange light on her face and her beautiful violet eyes that made his heart swell in his chest. He kissed her, lips lightly pressing against hers. She was stiff to the touch, but her lips were warm and soft against his. He heard his heart beat in his ears and the pulsing was felt in his finger tips as one of his hands wrapped around her waist and the other brushed her surprisingly cool cheek.

He wished time could have stopped for him, for this very moment in his life that he had ever felt so...in love. Never had he imagined the feelings that overwhelmed him, the temptations that called out to him, the stigma of this very action. He had never imagined how much he could feel for one person that was so small, so...

He felt her arms on his chest and before he could even process it, she had pushed him away with all the force she had, whatever she held in that tiny frame of hers.

Gilgamesh was left stunned, not because she pushed him away but because he kissed her. "I...I,"

"Gil! What, I, I don't think I ever made it look like I..." She searched her mind, flickering her eyes all over the place but never once landing them on him again.

"Jeanne, I..." He wasn't one to stutter, he never had, but he couldn't explain himself. "Jeanne, I'm sorry."

She covered her mouth and he prepared himself for her wiping her mouth, trying to rid herself of him, for his heart to break more than it could...but that never came, much to his gratitude. Instead, she lowered her head. "I have to get home," she wheezed, as if she had been out of breath, running a marathon.

" _Jeanne_ ," he called, hoping to calm her.

She shook her head, "I have to go."

Gilgamesh watched as she ran off into the sunset, leaving him angry and annoyed with himself. " _Shit_ , fuck," he cursed, kicking the wall. "Why did I do that?" He growled. The disgust for himself grew and he went through a billion insult in his head as he made his own way home. Whatever respect Jeanne had for him, he was sure he destroyed with one kiss...just because of a caprice.

The stress before Prom felt like ages. Hair was being perfected, make-up applied, dresses zipped up; everything needed to be perfect—especially for Guinevere. She wanted nothing but perfection for her and her best friends. She had personally picked out all the dresses and suist to make sure everyone was the way she wanted.

She wore a burgundy velvet off-the-shoulder dress tight all throughout her body until her knees where it hung loose. Her chocolate brown hair was styled half-up half-down, jewels adorning it, and giving her a regal look.

For Jeanne, she had chosen a white chiffon dress with violet flowers embroidered on it, hanging loosely to her ankles, violet heels topping it off. Her hair remained in it's normal braid, at Jeanne's request, but she wore a flower crown on her head, long earrings sparkling.

Arturia wore a blue satin dress, styled in an ancient Greek fashion with her hair in a bun. She remained simple, but her stance alone held power and confidence.

"Guys, this is the most important day of our lives." Guinevere smiled as they were helped out of the limo (Guin had gone all out).

"I thought a wedding day was..." Jeanne mumbled.

"Of our _teenage_ lives," Guinevere corrected, rolling her eyes slightly as she hooked her arm around Lancelot's.

Dinadan offered his arm to Arturia and she took it with a smile. "I already forgot about it and it hasn't even been two years," he commented.

Arturia squeezed his arm, "I recommend you don't push her buttons."

"Listen to your sweetheart, Dany," The taunting voice of Grainne interrupted them all. "Guin gets scary when she's mad."

"Grainne," Guin stretched her lips into a fake smile, "who's your date?"

Grainne lifted the pink poof-y dress slightly as she walked towards Gawain, "Oh, he hadn't told you?"

Guinevere, although surprised hid it. "Of course, I was simply teasing."

Jeanne did not hold her surprise. "Since when?" She whispered over to him while Grainne was occupied with Guinevere.

Gawain shrugged, rubbing the back of his head. "Last minute changes. I promise it's all in Artie's benefit."

"Don't blow our cover," Dinadan added, glaring his way.

Gawain made an action of zipping his mouth shut and smiled. "We must be headed to our table, Grainne."

"Ah, yes, of course." She grinned and took his hand, leading him off into the main hall of the banquet hall.

Jeanne looked about, tapping her finger against her clutch. Cu had assured her he would met her at the Prom, saying he wanted to surprise her with his new look but she had not heard from him over a week. He had extended his stay at his sister's and they hadn't seen each other since.

"Cu will be here," Arturia landed a hand on her shoulder, "You know he won't leave you all made up."

Jeanne smiled, "You're right, I'm just a little impatient." The truth was that the anxiety was killing her. She needed to tell him about the kiss because she wanted to tell him in person and not over skype or the phone, but now the many possibilities of what he would say were running through her mind and eating her alive. She had not slept for two days after the kiss and she had not dared to even look Gilgamesh in the eyes for two entire weeks for guilt, shame and anxiety.

Gilgamesh had apologized countless of times, but she could not forgive herself for having even made it seem as if she was interested. She felt wrong and ashamed.

"Jeanne." Her heart sunk, and she wanted to escape, opting to go to the bathroom, but Gilgamesh had caught her by the wrist before she could escape.

She was forced to turn towards him.

"Can we talk, please?" He asked.

She didn't look up at him for fear that she would run away again. "I..."

Gilgamesh let her hand slip from his grasp. "Please, Jeanne. I promise not to try anything."

She bit her cheek, eyes still downcast.

"Follow me," he asked as he walked off to a secluded corner, and she followed close behind.

He sighed, "Would you look at me, please?"

Jeanne remained still.

"Jeanne, _please_?" Never had he pleaded with anyone, and now he was ready to drop on his knees for her.

She lifted her head, averting her gaze.

" _At me_. Look at me."

Finally, her eyes slothfully landed on his, but they would flicker away often.

"I love you, Jeanne." Her gaze dropped at his words. "Jeanne, look at me, please."

She shook her head. "I don't think this is an appropriate place to..."

"Yes, it is, just give me two minutes. All I ask is for you to look at me. I need to see your eyes when I say this."

Jeanne nodded, looking up at him. He looked handsome, hair parted tidily, white tuxedo on and a golden necklace around his neck.

"I love you and I truly am happy that you're happy with Cu. You like him, and I know that I'm just your friend. I get that," he fixed his cuff, "I do. That day I just... I have no excuse. You never really gave me a signal or anything I just kissed you. I wanted to kiss you and I didn't care that you had a boyfriend or that you didn't like me I just _needed_ to kiss you. Look, I can safely say that you're the only person that I have ever loved... and you are the only one who's been so kind to me, so forgiving all the time. I'm sorry that I hurt you. I'm sorry I caused you pain and suffering...

"I used you for my own caprice, I know that now, after tormenting myself these past two weeks. I'm sorry I put you in that position, but I do want you to know that my feelings are sincere. I like you, a lot. I don't think I'll ever stop liking you. So, now that I have made a complete and utter fool of myself, I think...I," he sniffled, "I will not bother you again."

She wrapped her arms around him, bringing him into a tight hug, blinking her own tears away. "I'm sorry I can't return the feelings but you're honestly one of my best friends. I value you a lot."

Hesitantly, he hugged her back.


	48. The Truth Never Hurts

_"Heaven is a place on Earth with you..."  
_

**_~Lana del Rey_ **

* * *

They stayed there, hugging for a while and then she pulled away from the hug. "Thank you, Gil. Thank you for being a good friend and especially for understanding me. I'm very grateful that you like me, and I am happy that in some way or form I've made you happy. You'll always be someone I treasure, though in a different way."

He chuckled, "Yeah, well…" He was red, beet red and he looked cute and innocent, it was a nice change for him. She liked it very much. "I…I hope we can still be friends."

Jeanne smiled, brightly. "I will always be happy to be your friend."

They hesitantly walked back to the main hall, parting at the door as they went their separate ways, back to those they were accompanied by. They said one last goodbye and Jeanne was afraid that that was how it would end…She would miss him, the friend she made and grew close to in such a short time. Maybe if they had been friends sooner, life and fate would have smiled upon them a little more.

"What did Gil want, Jeanne?" Arturia watched as the young girl sat down at the table next to her. She looked pensive and as if she were pondering, in fact, she had been acting like that for two weeks now.

Jeanne shook her head, slowly, while she picked up the fork from the table, not bothering to look towards Arturia. "Nothing important."

Arturia stood from the seat, smiling over at Dinadan who immediately looked up at her. "Jeanne, can you accompany me to the washroom?"

Jeanne finally looked up from the fork. "Uhm," she nibbled on her cheek, "Y-yeah." She too stood, dress flowing as they excused themselves and headed for the washroom, meeting Guinevere half way.

"So, mind telling us what has you so…secretive these past two weeks?" Arturia leaned towards the sink as she looked at herself in the mirror, as if analyzing her makeup and checking if Guin had not over done her.

"Yeah," Guin agreed, sitting on the counter top where one could put their stuff, "Is it because you haven't seen Cú lately? Or did something else happen?"

"No," she shook her head in response. She was not sure if she should have told them what had happened between her and Gil. Originally, she was going to run straight to Arturia's house and spill the beans right after it had happened, but she felt both guilty and that it was not the best time.

"And, why have you been avoiding Gil?" Guinevere asked, crossing her arms over her chest, recalling that during lunch she would flee the cafeteria once Gil would enter.

Jeanne shrugged. "No reason."

Arturia finally turned towards Jeanne. "You're keeping something from us and although I respect your privacy and space…we also want to make sure you're alright."

Jeanne saw Guin nod in agreement. After making sure that they were alone in the restroom, Jeanne decided it was a good time to tell them—not the best, albeit. "Gil," she looked down at her nails, following the patterns of the painted flowers, "He…"

"What did he do this time?" Arturia clenched her jaw, prepared to throw a punch if need be.

"He, well, he kissed me."

"He _what_?" Guinevere stumbled off the counter, nearly tripping over her dress. "When?"

Arturia looked shocked—but mostly angry. She was outraged and completely annoyed, one could see it in the way she furrowed her brows and clenched her jaw. "Did you slap him?"

"No, _no_ , gosh no," Jeanne hushed.

"How did—how did it happen?" Guin asked. Part of the reason why she asked was because she was her usual gossip self.

"Well…about two weeks ago, he asked to walk me home—the time I had the student council meeting… We stopped for a bit and he just kissed me, out of the blue."

" _Damn_ ," Guin cooed, "classic."

" _Guin_ ," Arturia nagged, then went back to looking at Jeanne. "What if he's playing with your feelings again? Can you really trust him? Plus, what about Cú, huh?"

"Look, he, well he just told me…He's serious about his feelings..."

" _Gil_? Serious about his feelings?" Arturia scoffed.

Jeanne frowned. "He told me he liked me and that he was sorry for the kiss."

" _Wait_ ," Guin gasped, "does Cú know?"

She shook her head in reply, "I want to tell him in person."

" _Yeah_ … I think that's best too. How are you going to tell him?"

"I…" Jeanne shrugged, "don't know, not yet at least. I don't want to hurt his feelings or his pride."

Arturia crossed her arms over her chest and seemed to immerse herself in deep thinking. No one talked for a while and then Arturia spoke up. "Is that all that you want to tell us?"

They exchanged a glance; one Guinevere did not understand.

"Yeah…" The Frenchwoman mumbled, looking back down at her nails, afraid that her friend would be quick to see through her. Arturia was always so great in catching her in a lie.

Arturia nodded. "Well, then, we should be off. The boys must be waiting on us now." With that, Arturia pushed the bathroom door open, and exited the room.

"Do you…" Guinevere lagged behind with Jeanne, "do you like Gil? You don't have to lie to me, I just want to know."

"What do you mean?" Jeanne's eyes grew. "I have a boyfriend."

"That doesn't answer my question. Do you like him?"

"He's my friend. A good friend."

"Don't get confused, Jeanne," Guin advised, "I know it can get hard, but don't ever let yourself get confused."

They slowly and silently walked back. Originally, they thought prom would be a bright and happy occasion, but for Jeanne, it was starting to get melancholic. They sat down at the table, bright smiles on their faces as if they had not just had a serious revelation and talk. Jeanne would often steal glances at Gil, who seemed to be having fun with another student he had probably asked out to the prom. She wanted him to be happy and hopefully move on to someone better.

Jeanne jumped at the feeling of someone's hands on her shoulders. Gasping, she turned slightly to see her boyfriend. He was dressed tidily and looked professional with a tuxedo. His violet bowtie matched the flowers on her dress and she smiled at how handsome he looked.

"Did I scare you babe?" He laughed, the laugh she missed and had not heard for almost a month.

A smile stretched her pink lips and she immediately stood from her seat. "Cú! I almost thought that you weren't going to make it." He was soon enraptured into a tight hug from her part.

"Aw," he cooed, patting her head slightly, "I missed you too, sweetheart."

Pulling away, he leaned down to plant a kiss on her lips but, without warning, she turned her head and instead he kissed her cheek. Pouting, he took her chin in his hand and gently made her face him. "No kiss for your boyfriend? I just came back from the war." He frowned, puppy eyes kicking in.

Jeanne's heart felt heavy as she gave him a weak smile. "Not right now, sorry."

"Oh," he whistled, " _later_ , got it." He winked down at her and they sat down.

After dinner was served, Cú had asked for permission to step out before the dance floor was opened. It took a lot of convincing from his part to persuade Jeanne to step out with him while he took a smoke.

The night was warm as they waved at the teachers, finding their place a few ways away from the door.

"I…" she knew she had no reason to be upset with him for smoking after she had basically cheated. "Could this be quick?"

He nodded, a smile on his face as he reached into the inside pocket of his suit. "I won't make you wait long, I promise babe."

She nodded.

"So," he wiggled his eyebrows, "did you miss me?"

She punched his upper arm playfully, rolling her eyes. "Of course, I did."

Finally, she watched as, after fishing in his pocket for a while, he pulled something out. Confusion washed over her when she noticed a lollipop in his hand and not a cigarette.

"Is that for me?" She asked, tilting her head.

He blinked, "Well, you could say. I wanted to surprise you."

"Surprise me?"

Stepping closer towards her, he backed her up against the brick wall, caging her with one hand. "The real reason," he tried to sound husky, sexy even, "I left was because…well, yes I needed to stay with my sister for a while but," He leaned in.

Her heart sped up, and she felt as if she needed to tell him the truth before he would kiss her.

"It was super hard, it still is, but I quit smoking, for you mostly." He closed his eyes, expecting a kiss, but instead she hugged him tightly, burying her face in his chest, probably ruining his shirt with her makeup.

"I'm sorry," he heard her voice crack as her grip tightened around him, almost as if she were a snake.

"Jeanne." He slowly hugged her back, getting over the initial shock. "Why are you apologizing?"

She simply clung to him, sniffling and that was when he noticed she was probably crying. "I'm so sorry."

He pulled her away, gently, sliding a hand over her cheek and looking down at her glossed violet eyes. "Babe, what's wrong?"

"While you were gone…" her voice slowly died off.

"What happened?"

Jeanne kept her gaze away from his eyes. She had not intended to start drama, especially on prom night. "Gil and I kissed…"

He furrowed his brows, a smile widening his lips and then he let out a few chuckles. "What?"

"I, I'm sorry. I take full responsibility and—"

" _Wait_ ," he growled, "this isn't just some cruel joke?"

Clenching her jaw, she shook her head. "We kissed."

He dropped his hands from her shoulders as if they were sharp knives while his face twisted in anger. "What? You kissed? Is that true? Did you two kiss or did he kiss you?"

His voice was harsh, as harsh as an ice storm in the middle of spring. Her cheeks burned, and her heart felt heavy. There was a bottomless pit in her stomach and she was afraid, so very afraid that everything around her would crumble. Everything she knew to this point was in jeopardy; her friendship with Gil was unstable, she was thinking of letting everyone go and now Cú had reason to leave her.

"Jeanne, did he kiss you?" He repeated, anger bubbling up from inside him, but he was trying his best to hold it back.

Jeanne took a deep breath, closing her eyes, preparing for the worst. "He kissed me…"

There was silence, deafening silence and she gulped, ready for what would come next. She did not expect his lips on hers.

He was angry, beyond angry—she could feel it from the force in which it took for him to kiss her. His hands wrapped around her waist and he brought her closer, as if she would run away from his arms.

Her eyes were wide, and it took her a bit to react. She landed her hands on his shoulders cautiously, closing her eyes and sinking into the kiss. This kiss was different than Gil's, starting for the fact that it was rough and sloppy, and filled with anger but forgiveness.

They fell apart from each other, but her hands remained on his shoulders and his arms did not budge from her waist.

"…Why?"

"I'm taking it back, reminding you that _I'm_ your boyfriend." He kissed the corner of her lips, finally letting go of her. "Jeanne," he mumbled, anger slowly dying off, "I'm not letting you go. It wasn't your fault and I like you way too much to have you walk out on me. I'll be here for you, you can trust me."

Her eyes blurred over with tears and she sniffled, "Why are you so nice?"

He laughed, "Because you're so nice."

She hugged him tightly, thankful she hadn't lost him. "Promise me that you won't confront Gil."

His chest rumbled in a laugh. "I can't promise you that. I'm angry, but I won't hit him, grad is coming up and that would be rude of me."

* * *

" _Hey_ ," Cú pulled the blond boy from the dance floor, pulling him away from the sweaty teenagers and the loud music.

Gilgamesh stood stunned, he was barely able to resist the grip on his arm. "Cú…"

They had made it to the restroom and after checking no one was inside, they leaned against a wall. "I heard." Cú blinked.

Gilgamesh gulped, ready for the fight that would ensue. "About that, I…"

Cú sighed, "Don't. Don't apologize. If you do, I'll get mad." He pushed off from the wall. "Honestly," he chuckled, "I would have done the same if she was your girlfriend. Still, I'm agitated, and don't you dare try it again because I will not be responsible for what happens."

"I promise I won't. I just…"

" _Don't_ ," he warned, walking towards the door, "Well, never shall we talk about this again." And, they never did. It went forgotten and never again to resurface.

* * *

Arturia sat at the table, sipping at her water glass. The rest of the teenagers, including her date, had gone out to dance and enjoy their time at the prom. Arturia, herself, was not a person to dance all night, she preferred staying home and watching a movie or something; dancing was fun but not her type of fun.

"You look beautiful."

Arturia's lips widened into a bright smile. "You're looking stunning yourself." She looked up at her boyfriend, the real one.

Diarmuid looked spiffy and very handsome. Never had he ever not looked handsome but a man in a suit was always very appealing. She wished she could have kissed him right away, but alas, the whole senior grade did not need to know she was really dating a teacher.

Diarmuid smiled, trying to hide it behind a straight face. "Aren't you going to dance?" He asked.

Shaking her head, she stood from the table. "I do not like dancing, to be honest."

"You should dance. Let your stress out, it'll be fun."

" _Well_ , I would only want to dance with you."

He blushed, laughing it off, "Maybe tomorrow, how about it?"

They were not scared of anyone over hearing them when the music was so loud that it shook the walls. They also enjoyed being in each other's company, in public. The lights were off and only party lights lit them ever so often as they bounced off the walls or the dancing students. It was a nice atmosphere.

"Yes, that would be great." Her smile grew.

"You," he nibbled on his bottom lip, "you should dance with your _boyfriend_."

She laughed. "Okay, I will."


End file.
